Agile Source Code

Following some very simple source code best practices can help your development teams be better prepared to make the transition to Agile.

This should be obvious, but there are development teams who do not store their source code in a source control tool.

Each developer should work in a private workspace. This might be an area on their laptop that their IDE points to that contains the code from the branch they are working against.

That way, any changes they make are isolated in this area until they are fully tested and ready to integrate with their team.

• Do not share workspaces
• Check in your code often
• Stay current with the code line

To support parallel development and to properly support of previous releases, development teams should use a logical branching strategy.

One that isolates the separate releases from each other yet allows for easy merging of code between the branches.

• Branch only when required
• Branch to isolate tasks

Automate nightly builds. Include system deployment and automated testing to ensure the application's stability.

Implementing Continuous Integration builds allows for instant sanity checks for developers. Like the full system builds, include a deployment of the application. Then run a system smoke test to ensure the system is stable after every check in.

• Email the results of the build to responsible parties
• Include build logs, a list of what version of the source code are in this build, and a list of the newly versioned build artifacts.

Software Development Life Cycle Software Development Life Cycle is the process in which you encapsulate your software development. Specifically meaning, it is the process and tools you use to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of your software development efforts.

Agile SCM Implementing Agile Software Configuration Management processes and practices will help your ability to successfully implement Agile software development processes.

Agile Software Agile software attempts to minimize risk by developing software in short iterations. This development methodology is about adaptability. Because of the chaotic nature of software development, it may be impossible to control or to predict.

Agile Source Code Providing agile source code control processes and procedures greatly aids an organization's ability to successfully implement Agile software development processes.

Feature Driven Development Feature Driven Development, FDD, is a short-iteration development process. It consists of five basic activities: Develop an Overall Model, Build a Feature List, Plan by Feature, Design by Feature, Build by Feature

Software Quality Assurance Software Quality Assurance is the systematic testing of a software product to meet the planned requirements. Quality Assurance is the testing of a software product and the process improvement of the testing cycle.

Software Testing Software Testing is the systematic and sometimes programmatic, investigation of software for defects and to ensure the application runs appropriately.

Software Development Processes The Software Development Process, SDP, is the methodology used by a development team to produce software.

SCMWise Software Configuration Management SCMWise is dedicated to Software Configuration Management. This site is a central repository for the collection of best practices, processes, methodologies and tools that surround SCM.