Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
• The capability to overcome resistance (from other team members)
to implement improvements by using automated mechanisms for
important processes such as testing and database integration
Generate Deployable Software
CI can enable you to release deployable software at
any point in time.
From an outside perspective, this is the most obvious benefit of CI. We
could talk endlessly about improved software quality and reduced
risks, but deployable software is the most tangible asset to “outsiders”
such as clients or users. The importance of this point
cannot
be over-
stated. With CI, you make small changes to the source code and inte-
grate these changes with the rest of the code base on a regular basis. If
there are any problems, the project members are informed and the
fixes are applied to the software
immediately.
Projects that do not
embrace this practice may wait until immediately prior to delivery to
integrate and test the software. This can delay a release, delay or pre-
vent fixing certain defects, cause new defects as you rush to complete,
and can ultimately spell the end of the project.
Enable Better Project Visibility
CI provides the ability to notice trends and make effective decisions,
and it helps provide the courage to innovate new improvements.
Projects suffer when there is no real or recent data to support deci-
sions, so everyone offers their best guesses. Typically, project mem-
bers collect this information manually, making the effort burdensome
and untimely. The result is that often the information is never gathered.
CI has the following positive effects.
•
Effective decisions
—A CI system can provide just-in-time infor-
mation on the recent build status and quality metrics. Some CI
systems can also show defect rates and feature completion statuses.
•
Noticing trends
—Since integrations occur frequently with a CI
system, the ability to notice trends in build success or failure,
overall quality, and other pertinent project information becomes
possible.
