What does a hand icon indicate in the context of deployment promotions?

The hand icon in the context of deployment promotions signifies a manual promotion. This indicates that the deployment is not automated and requires user intervention to proceed. When users see this icon, they understand that they need to actively engage in the promotion process, as it won't happen automatically as part of a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Manual promotions are important in scenarios where oversight is necessary, such as for deployments to production environments, where careful consideration and approval are paramount.

Other options suggest different types of processes that don't align with the hand icon’s meaning. For instance, automated deployments do not require manual intervention, scheduled releases refer to timing aspects that are not depicted by an icon, and back-promotion methods relate to reverting changes rather than promoting new ones.