 Without controlling source
code integration developers test their code and integrate believing all is well. But because of parallel integration
of source code modules there is a combination of source code which has not been tested together before. Numerous
integration problems arise without detection.
Further problems arise when
there is no clear cut latest version. This applies not only to the source code but the unit
test suite which must verify the source code correctness. If you can not lay your hands on a complete, correct,
and consistent test suite you will be chasing bugs that do not exist and passing up bugs that do.
Some projects try to have
developers own specific classes. The class owners then ensure that code for each class is integrated and |
released properly. This reduces the problem but interclass dependencies can still be wrong. It does not solve the
whole problem.
Yet another way is to appoint
an integrator or integration team. Integrating code from multiple developers is more than a single person can handle.
And a team of people is too big a resource to integrate more than once a week. In this environment developers work
with obsolete versions which are then erroneously re-integrated into the code base.
Continued
on page 2 
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