What is Continuous Integration in SAFe?
Continuous Integration is shortly referred to as CI. It permits teams in organizations to continuously bring together code into a single easy and shared access store. The same rule applies to Continuous Delivery (CD) in SAFe as well. It allows you to take the code saved in the access store. With these codes, you can continuously deliver them to production. Together CI and CD create an effective and quick process of getting your product to the market. Above all, you can ensure that this happens before your competitor does it. Even, you can use it for bug fixes, adding new features. In turn, you can keep your customers happy.
What is SAFe Continuous Integration?
When you take a SAFe environment, SAFe Continuous Integration is a process. It involves taking features from the program backlog. You can build these features, test, validate and can assimilate them into a staging atmosphere. In this atmosphere, they get ready not only for deployment but also for delivery. In a four-part Continuous Delivery Pipeline, Continuous Integration holds the second position:
Source: Scaled Agile
In SAFe, Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery Pipeline encompass the stages. Even, they include actions and automation required. These are required for developing and deploying a new software improvement or feature. This can happen from evaluation to an on-demand delivery to a production atmosphere for use by a system user. In an organization that follows SAFe, the continuous delivery pipeline is a considerable element. It is a method used in organizational-level software development. Also, in SAFe, a concept called Solution Train or Agile Release Train is commonly followed. According to this concept, a team in an organization will be responsible jointly for the regular release. They should regularly release improvements, functionality and features. Also, each ART individually develops and deploys its own software applications using its own CD/CI pipeline.
Why each ART should have a separate pipeline?
Having a dedicated pipeline will provide each ART with the ability to put into practice enhanced and new functionality to users. Above all, they can do it rapidly as compared to conventional software development processes. In traditional deployment practices, they generally have a long implementation cycle. Also, they release large software with many features included even though they add features one by one. But, in the SAFe environment, the pipeline uses short implementation cycles. In turn, deployment of smaller software delivery becomes possible. Also, these releases are done as required. It can happen many times a day, several times a week or even once in a month. The timeline varies based on when the functionality should be deployed.
Source: Scaled Agile
When you look at the picture above, you will find that the CI/CD pipeline is shown as progressive. You can find that the procedure is followed in the order of stages. The stages include analyzing, designing, coding, building, testing, releasing, and deploying. Nevertheless, in ART, many of these tasks happen simultaneously. Different teams like operations staff, subject matter experts, Quality Assurance team, Developers and Analysts work on tasks simultaneously in an ART. Nevertheless, they might not be working on the same feature. But, they will have a shared vision and they work concurrently. Typically, every ART will have the following:
- Requirement Analysis
- Functionality development
- Quality Assurance
- Demonstration of features
- Deployment to production and
- Value realization
How is Continuous Integration Different from Continuous Deployment and Continuous Delivery?
All these concepts are popular in the SAFe environment and are an integral part of this environment. But, understanding how they are different from each other will help:
Continuous Integration:
Now, as you know, Continuous Integration is the practice of bringing together changes from different Developers in a team. It can happen as an association of changes made by different Developer teams when it comes to the organization as a whole. As the work of many Developers is integrated into the mainline, the code of individual Developers does not divert too much. Let us consider that they are brought together. When this happens, the process with automated testing and ongoing integration can make the code dependable.
Continuous Deployment:
Continuous Deployment is somewhat closely related to SAFe Continuous Integration. It involves keeping the application deployable at any point in time. It is the process in which automated and frequent deployment of the master branch takes place. This is done after automated testing and the deployment is done into the production environment.
Continuous Delivery:
Continuous Delivery is a concept that helps organizations to release application changes at any time. It makes sure that your application passes automated tests. It does not stop there. But, it tests whether the application has the entire configuration required for pushing it into the main production line. It includes everything from ideation to readiness of delivery to even production.
What is the aim of Continuous Integration?
The objective of Continuous Integration is to establish an automated and consistent method. The method is for building and testing applications. In turn, it aims at the production of better quality software. The best practices in Continuous Integration in SAFe include staging builds, ongoing feedback mechanisms, and dedicated integration build machines. It also includes Developer test categorization and frequent code commits.
One popular rule in Continuous Integration is that the programmer can never leave anything unintegrated at the end of a day. In other words, the rule is that a solution should never spend a night in a broken state. With this rule laid in CI, it becomes possible for programming teams in an organization to follow task planning discipline. The rule further states that whoever breaks the build at check-in will have to fix it again. It means that there will be a natural incentive for programmers to check code frequently during the day.
Agile coaches feel that nothing can build or destroy your Business Agility like the commitment to CI. You might feel this statement to be threatening. This holds particularly if you are planning to integrate CI into your business practices. But, there is good news for you. Irrespective of the technologies your teams use, probabilities are more that there is an automated test framework and Continuous Integration that will work for their codebases.
How Can Continuous Integration Benefit Your Business?
When your business invests in Scaled Agile Continuous Integration, it will result in fast feedback. Yes, your teams can get quicker responses on changes in codes. Here, fast denotes faster as it happens within a few minutes. In traditional practices, comprehensive testing of codes takes a single day. Even, it takes several days after the code gets changed. When it comes to manual testing, it can take a couple of hours to get the feedback. Let us consider that your business follows traditional practices. In this case, there are chances of other changes happening before changing the code. When this happens, it will again take a long time to fix bugs. The reason is that developers will have to spend days tunneling through many tiers of codes. Only then, they can get to the root cause of the issue. Thanks to Continuous Integration, it eliminates these delays with quick feedback.
Branching and CI:
Many teams of Developers keep away from branching. The reason is that it involves merges that are difficult. Not only branching but also merging is not easier. Thanks to new technologies in version control. To make sure that the fundamental code line stays healthy; your team can do one thing. They can run the same level of CI on all stable version branches and development. Let us consider that your team is able to build passes on a branch. When this happens, the team will get the confidence to combine the code upstream.
With test automation, branching and CI, teams can turn innovative and productive. They can continue to safeguard the quality of code as well.
Faster Continuous Integration:
For healthy Scaled Agile Framework Continuous Integration, your business can do one thing. It is better to ensure that your codebases are healthy. Also, ensure that your Developers stay innovative. Further, it would be a good idea to ensure that the inner feedback loop is tight at all times. When you do these things, you can expect the best results and the changes will happen quickly.
Four Activities of Continuous Integration in SAFe:
SAFe explains four actions connected with Continuous Integration:
Source: Scaled Agile
Develop: This activity explains the practices required for putting stories into practice. Even, it involves committing the components and code to version control.
Build: This action explains the practices required for the creation of deployable binaries. Even, it involves the association of development branches into the trunk.
Test end-to-end: The role of this action is to explain the practices required for validating the solution.
Stage: It is responsible for explaining the practices required for hosting and authenticating the solution in a staging environment. It is done before production.
Conclusion:
To build a successful Continuous Integration in SAFe practice, you can do certain things. It is better to increase the frequency of integration. Also, it is better to make sure that the results of the integration are visible to all. Then, you will have to fix failed integrations by prioritizing them. These ideas will help successful Continuous Integration in SAFe.
References:
- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/continuous-integration/
- https://bi-insider.com/posts/ci-cd-pipeline-with-scaled-agile-framework-safe/
- https://www.synopsys.com/glossary/what-is-continuous-integration.html
