Continuous Integration Builds Quality in
CI benefits a software development organization in a number of ways. All of the descriptions that follow assume the CI implementation includes a robust set of unit and integration tests that are run each time the source code is rebuilt.
Aid Debugging by Limiting the Scope of Errors
An effective CI implementation requires users to check changes into SCM frequently. Frequent check-ins tend to limit both the size and scope of changes, which in turn limit the possible sources of error when a test fails. CI helps speed debugging by limiting the source of a test failure to recent changes.
Provide Immediate Feedback for Changes
Feedback for changes is not limited to test failures; it includes successful integrations as well. CI provides both positive and negative feedback about recent changes, allowing developers to see the effects of those changes quickly. The negative or positive quality of those effects can then drive additional changes or a determination that no more work is required.
Minimize Integration Effort
Traditional software development life cycles include an integration phase sandwiched between the end of development and the release of the product. CI minimizes—and sometimes eliminates completely—the integration phase. By spreading the integration effort out over the entire development cycle, CI allows developers to integrate smaller changes. Integrating smaller changes frequently doesn’t simply spread the same effort out over a longer period; ...
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