We check in our code at the entry point of a pipeline, version control (Git and Github in our case), and then it’s taken through a series of steps aimed at assuring quality and lowering risk of releases. Automation helps us keep these steps out of our way while maintaining control through fast feedback loops (context-switching is our enemy). If any step of the pipeline breaks (or fails) we want to be alerted in our communication channel of choice (in our case Slack), and it needs to happen as quickly as possible while we’re in the right context.