After adding pages to your model-driven app, what is the next crucial step to make it operational?

Publishing the app is a crucial step after adding pages to a model-driven app because this action makes all the recent changes and configurations effective within the app environment. Until the app is published, modifications like added pages, forms, or entities remain unviewable to users.

Publishing ensures that all changes are properly integrated into the app's framework, enabling users to access the updated features and functionalities as intended. This step guarantees that any alterations made during the design process are live and operational, allowing for a seamless user experience.

While configuring views, adding permissions, and running the app are important aspects of app management, they do not replace the necessity of publishing. Configuring views or adding permissions can happen anytime, but without publishing, those configurations won’t be visible or active. Running the app doesn't encompass the setup and deployment of changes; it focuses on the usage aspect of the app. Hence, the publication step consolidates the changes, making the app ready for end-users.