Collective Wisdom from the Experts 127
Traditionally, testing has been something that was always left to the “Quality
Assurance” team. We now realize that testing as we code is necessary to being
able to deliver value predictably. In much the same way, the build process
needs to be owned by the development team.
Understanding the build can simplify the entire development lifecycle and
reduce costs. A simple-to-execute build allows a new developer to get started
quickly and easily. Automating configuration in the build can enable you to
get consistent results when multiple people are working on a project, avoiding
an “it works for me” conversation. Many build tools allow you to run reports
on code quality, allowing you to sense potential problems early. By spending
time understanding how to make the build yours, you can help yourself and
everyone else on your team. You can focus on coding features, benefiting your
stakeholders and making work more enjoyable.
Learn enough of your build process to know when and how to make changes.
Build scripts are code. They are too important to be left to someone else, if for
no other reason than because the application is not complete until it is built. The
job of programming is not complete until we have delivered working software.