Let's compare your software-release process to a flowing river (I did say it was a bit of a tangent):

• At the very beginning, many small streams flowed downhill and converged into a river. This river flowed along, but the progress was impeded by a series of locks and a massive manmade dam:

• The river then backed up and started to form a reservoir.
• Every few months, the sluice gates were opened and the water flowed freely, but this was normally a short-lived and frantic rush.
• As you identified and started to remove the manmade obstacles, the flow started to become more even, but it was still hindered by some very large boulders further downstream:

• You then set about systematically removing these boulders one by one, which again increased the flow; this, in turn, started to become consistent, predictable, and manageable.
• As a consequence of removing the obstacles...