With the constant need for software delivery and integrations, build management has become a very important part of the software testing and development lifecycle. However, to use it properly, you need to understand it. This article will take you through the basics of software build management and how it may benefit you and your team.
What Is Build Management?
Build management is the process of gathering every important asset and piece of data to be included in the release of a software project. It involves performing every automated task that needs to be compiled, building and testing out every system, and deploying it into the final development stage for the release.
Types of Builds
During software build management software, it’s important to determine exactly what kind of build you are dealing with. This will make it easier for you to read and compile builds. For the most part, there are two types of build in the management process:
Complete Built
In this type of build, everything is made from scratch, with every dependency already figured out. Here, the whole source is already compiled, with the software put together as an artifact.
Incremental Build
This type is for projects that require frequent modifications, especially team projects. They use a “last build status,” building only new changes from the latest project. They are much faster and the preferred option since they work with incremental changes to the software.
The Roles of Build Management
Software build management has a series of key roles within the software development stage. This may include the following:
- Putting together baselines from the first versions of the software
- Organizing and refining the structure of the software
- Running tests to find potential bugs within the software
- Setting up the rules of the development process
- Recording software data at its most important milestones
- Setting up configuration data for the team
- Making the information easily visible for the stockholders and developers
- Removing baselines and orders that are no longer required
Each software is different, which is why its role may change with each project.
Benefits of Build Management Tools
Software build management can be done by one person responsible for the task. However, to improve its effectiveness, most teams use various tools. Below are the most important benefits:
- It saves important resources such as time and money, allowing your team to focus on the more important tasks
- It keeps a history of all the stages and releases, which can help you solve potential bugs
- It accelerates the development process
- It takes care of redundant tasks
- It eliminates dependencies on important personnel
Build management and the tools used in this process can help ensure that every issue is addressed before its release.
The Bottom Line
Build management should not be skipped during the development of a program. Not only does it keep the entire process organized, but it also ensures the final product will be up to the customer’s expectations.