Why is a promotion branch created from the destination branch?

A promotion branch is created from the destination branch primarily to maintain existing changes while allowing for the addition of new developer contributions. This practice ensures that the integrity of the current state in the destination branch is preserved while enabling ongoing development. It allows developers to work on new features or fixes in isolation, test them thoroughly, and then merge them back into the destination branch without disrupting the existing workflow or codebase.

Creating this kind of branch facilitates a controlled and organized development process. By branching off from the destination, developers can ensure they have the latest updates and changes that have been approved and merged, which minimizes potential conflicts and enhances collaboration among team members. This approach ultimately leads to a more stable and reliable integration of new code into the main project, promoting a more efficient and effective development cycle.

This rationale distinguishes it from the other options. For instance, resetting previous configurations or creating duplicates of the entire environment does not align with the primary purpose of a promotion branch. Similarly, while simplifying the user story merging process is a benefit of good branching strategy, it is not the core reason for the creation of a promotion branch specifically from the destination branch.