- A
Configure a Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline with a staging target (automatic promotion) and a production target (require approval).
Cloud Deploy supports automatic promotion to staging and manual approval to production.
- B
Create a single Cloud Build pipeline that deploys to both staging and production using conditional steps based on branch name.
Why wrong: This would not include manual approval; both deployments would be automatic.
- C
Use Cloud Build to deploy to Cloud Run, and configure traffic splitting to gradually shift traffic from staging to production.
Why wrong: This doesn't provide a separate staging environment with manual approval for production.
- D
Use Cloud Build triggers with two separate build configs: one for staging (automatic), one for production (manual trigger).
Why wrong: Manual trigger requires human intervention to start the build, but not approval within a pipeline.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure a Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline with a staging target set for automatic promotion and a production target that requires approval. This is correct because Cloud Deploy natively supports multi-target pipelines where you can define promotion rules per target, allowing code to flow automatically to staging on every push to main while blocking the production rollout until a manual approval is granted via the Cloud Deploy console or gcloud command. On the Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Cloud Deploy’s serial promotion strategy and the distinction between automatic and manual approval gates—a common trap is assuming you need a separate Cloud Build trigger for production, when in fact Cloud Deploy handles the approval natively. Remember the key: staging is “auto-promote,” production is “require approval,” and the pipeline’s rollout order is defined by the target sequence. A useful memory tip is “Staging sails automatically, Production pauses for permission.”
PCDOE Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of building and implementing ci/cd pipelines. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An organization wants to implement a CI/CD pipeline that automatically deploys to a staging environment on every push to the main branch, and deploys to production only after a manual approval. They use Cloud Build and Cloud Deploy. What is the best way to configure this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Configure a Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline with a staging target (automatic promotion) and a production target (require approval).
Option A is correct because Cloud Deploy natively supports delivery pipelines with multiple targets, where you can configure automatic promotion to staging and require manual approval for production. This aligns with the requirement for a CI/CD pipeline that deploys to staging on every push to main and to production only after manual approval, using Cloud Build for the build and Cloud Deploy for the deployment orchestration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure a Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline with a staging target (automatic promotion) and a production target (require approval).
Why this is correct
Cloud Deploy supports automatic promotion to staging and manual approval to production.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a single Cloud Build pipeline that deploys to both staging and production using conditional steps based on branch name.
Why it's wrong here
This would not include manual approval; both deployments would be automatic.
- ✗
Use Cloud Build to deploy to Cloud Run, and configure traffic splitting to gradually shift traffic from staging to production.
Why it's wrong here
This doesn't provide a separate staging environment with manual approval for production.
- ✗
Use Cloud Build triggers with two separate build configs: one for staging (automatic), one for production (manual trigger).
Why it's wrong here
Manual trigger requires human intervention to start the build, but not approval within a pipeline.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between Cloud Build (build and test) and Cloud Deploy (deployment orchestration with approval gates), so the trap here is assuming Cloud Build alone can handle manual approvals or multi-environment promotion, when Cloud Deploy is the correct service for that workflow.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Deploy delivery pipelines define a sequence of targets (e.g., staging, production) with promotion policies. Automatic promotion to staging means a release is automatically deployed to staging upon creation, while production requires an approval via the Cloud Deploy UI, gcloud, or API. Under the hood, Cloud Deploy uses Skaffold for artifact promotion and can integrate with Cloud Build for the build phase, but the deployment orchestration and approval gates are managed entirely by Cloud Deploy, not Cloud Build.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines — study guide chapter
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Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines — This question tests Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline with a staging target (automatic promotion) and a production target (require approval). — Option A is correct because Cloud Deploy natively supports delivery pipelines with multiple targets, where you can configure automatic promotion to staging and require manual approval for production. This aligns with the requirement for a CI/CD pipeline that deploys to staging on every push to main and to production only after manual approval, using Cloud Build for the build and Cloud Deploy for the deployment orchestration.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCDOE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCDOE exam.
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