Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Poll: Continuous Integration Benefits

With Continuous Integration, all work from all teams is integrated into a single codeline as frequently as possible. Every check-in automatically triggers a build and usually a subsequent run of the test suite. This provides instant feedback about problems to all interested parties and helps to keep the code base free of build and test failures. It also reduces the integration headaches just prior to release.

There are two benefits of Continuous Integration. The first is that it forces you to break work down into small, manageable pieces. The second is that it spreads the integration work out over the entire development timeframe instead of just a short period at the end. Thus, you have more time to find and fix issues instead of a compressed high-stress window at the end of the release.

So, if you were starting a software company with your own money, would you use continuous integration or wouldn’t you?



Next: Poll - Refactoring, the Benefits

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