“Continuous Delivery is the ability to get changes of all types – including new features, configuration changes, bug fixes, and experiments – into prod, or into the hands of the users, safely, and quickly in a sustainable way.” –Jez Humble
The most important word in Jez’s description of CI is “suitable”. In my experience, the focus on implementing CI in the same order as the sentence is structured. With the priority on getting stuff into production fast without thinking enough about long term support of the CI process. In reality you need to start with the core idea of sustainability first and make sure the system will withstand the test of time and not just short term goals.
It’s like being a runner. You don’t just run fast you need to train, have a routine, commit to a healthy lifestyle and when you start will be slow, but you will get faster and run longer.
Here is how I would rewrite the quote in the order of importance when implementing good CI. “Continues Delivery is the ability to get code into production in a sustainable, safe and quick way enabling changes of all types – including features, configuration change, bug fix, and experiments.