I keep the pipeline lean by first mapping every step to a clear goal – build, test, lint, deploy – and then only adding jobs that directly support those goals. I strip out any duplicate checks or over‑cautious gates that don’t add real value. For every new feature I run a quick audit: does it change the output? If not, I skip it. I also use tags and a minimal matrix so the matrix isn’t a labyrinth. Finally, I document each job in a short comment, but I avoid excessive policy files; that’s where bureaucracy usually hides. That way the pipeline stays transparent, fast, and easy for anyone to understand or tweak.