Plan One or Multiple Deployments

What
A Deployment applies every included Fileset to every included target. Use one Deployment only when every target should receive every Fileset with the same exclusions, Installation Type, activation and deactivation, installation timing, license distribution, revision behavior, and destination-platform requirements.
There is no single correct number of Deployments. Choose an organization that makes the current behavior clear and that you can extend safely when applications, target groups, or delivery rules change later.
Decide before you group assignments
Split assignments into separate Deployments when any of these settings need to differ:
Setting
Use separate Deployments when
Assignment type
Some content installs automatically, appears in Kiosk, or exists only for license assignment
Activation and deactivation
Payloads need different start or end dates
Installation timing
Payloads need different installation windows
Kiosk rules
Items need different self-service visibility or presentation
Deployment on request
Only some payloads or target groups should use self-pickup behavior
Payload requirements
Platform, Booster, dependency, or runtime requirements do not match
Fewer Deployments are easier to maintain only when the assignments genuinely share the same rules. Combining unrelated assignments merely to reduce the Deployment count makes later changes harder to understand and riskier to scope.
Organize by payload or destination
As a primary pattern, organize Deployments around the payloads being delivered or around the destinations receiving them. Avoid making both dimensions vary inside one Deployment unless the assignments still share every relevant delivery rule. Delivery method and platform are common reasons to separate otherwise similar assignments.
Worked example
For a simple example, Firefox and Chrome can share one Deployment assigned to the IT and HR groups only when both groups should receive both Filesets and every Deployment option matches.
For a larger example, suppose the following applications must be assigned to all managed Windows and macOS devices:
Payload
Delivery
Destination
Google Chrome - Windows
Automatic installation
All Windows Devices
Google Chrome - macOS
Automatic installation
All macOS Devices
Firefox - Windows
Kiosk
All Windows Devices
Firefox - macOS
Kiosk
All macOS Devices
Adobe Acrobat Reader - Windows
Automatic installation
All Windows Devices
Adobe Acrobat Reader - macOS
Automatic installation
All macOS Devices
TeamViewer Host - Windows
Automatic installation
All Windows Devices
TeamViewer Host - macOS
Automatic installation
All macOS Devices
Recommended grouping
Standard Apps Windows (Automatic): Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and TeamViewer Host assigned to All Windows Devices
Standard Apps macOS (Automatic): Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and TeamViewer Host assigned to All macOS Devices
Optional Apps Windows (Kiosk): Firefox assigned to All Windows Devices
Optional Apps macOS (Kiosk): Firefox assigned to All macOS Devices
This creates four reusable building blocks because the platform and delivery behavior differ. If Microsoft Teams later uses the same targets, Installation Type, timing, exclusions, license distribution, and revision behavior, add its Windows and macOS Filesets to the corresponding Standard Apps Deployments. If any option differs, give Teams a separate Deployment instead.
Related Content
Combining Payloads into a Single Deployment Based on Metadata
How Are Deployments Different than Associations?
Convert Associations to Deployments