Scrum is an iterative and incremental agile software development framework that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. It provides a management structure that aids teams in delivering high-quality software products rapidly and consistently. In this article, we will look at three examples of how Scrum supports Continuous Integration (CI), a development practice in which developers integrate code into a shared repository several times a day, yielding multiple builds per day.
1. Fostering an Environment for Constant Integration
Scrum thrives on iterative development and incremental progress. Each Scrum Sprint—a predetermined timeframe in which a specific amount of work needs to be completed and made ready for a review—is an incarnation of CI. The output of each Sprint, regardless of its duration, is a potentially shippable increment of the product.
For example, consider a team working on developing a web application. Each Sprint could culminate in a new set of features added to the application. At the end of each Sprint, the new code is merged and integrated with the existing codebase and is then tested. This allows for ongoing integration and continuous testing—foundational principles of CI.
2. Encouraging Regular Inspection
In Scrum, regular inspection happens during the Sprint Review, in which the Scrum Team and stakeholders collaborate on what was done in the Sprint. Any changes or new items can then be planned for the next Sprint. This constant review and adaption are much like the practice of CI, where each integration is verified by an automated build and automated tests.
Suppose a development team is adding a new payment gateway to an e-commerce platform. At the end of each Sprint, the team would integrate the new code with the existing code and run automated tests to check for any integration issues or bugs. If a bug is found, the team would then write a failing test to reproduce the bug and then modify the code to pass the new test. This practice of constant inspection and adaptation makes it easier to catch issues early when they are easier to fix.
3. Promoting Transparency & Collaboration
Scrum promotes a clear and transparent process where everyone involved in the project has a complete understanding of the project’s status. This transparency demands constant collaboration, akin to the constant communication CI demands among team members. This level of collaboration leads to earlier detection of integration issues, easier problem-solving, and improved software quality.
To illustrate, consider a situation where a team is developing a mobile app. If a developer integrates their changes and an integration problem occurs, the issue becomes immediately visible to the entire team through notification tools set in the CI server. The team then collaboratively decides whether to fix the issue immediately or revert the changes. This joint decision-making process promotes a sense of collective ownership and fosters a productive environment where problems are solved more efficiently.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Scrum and Continuous Integration go hand in hand. The principles that govern Scrum—iterative development, regular inspection, and transparency—are the cornerstones of Continuous Integration. These examples underline the fact that adopting Scrum can meaningfully support and enhance the execution of CI, making it an effective approach for high-quality software development. By understanding and implementing these principles, teams can confidently address the challenges of modern software development.
Practice Test
True or False: Scrum practices support continuous integration (CI) for software development.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Scrum promotes continuous integration through practices like daily Scrum meetings, Sprint reviews, and Sprint retrospectives which focus on constant collaboration, feedback, and improvement.
Which Scrum event facilitates the complete, usable and potentially releasable product increment?
- a) Daily Scrum
- b) Sprint Review
- c) Product Backlog refinement
- d) Sprint Planning
Answer: b) Sprint Review
Explanation: The Sprint Review is the Scrum event where the team inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations to develop a potentially releasable product increment. It supports CI by regularly integrating and demonstrating new functionality.
True or False: Sprint retrospective has nothing to do with Continuous Integration.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Sprint retrospectives support continuous integration in Scrum by providing a formal opportunity at the end of every Sprint to inspect and adapt the Scrum Team’s process, which is a key principle of CI.
Daily Scrum meetings support Continuous Integration by:
- a) Helping to detect and fix integration issues early
- b) Giving an opportunity for the team to inspect the work done since the last meeting
- c) Checking the status of the project
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: Both the daily Scrum meetings and CI revolve around linking up the team’s work regularly, inspecting it, identifying any integration issues quickly and maintaining constant progress.
True or False: In Scrum, all features and capabilities are developed and integrated continuously over time.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Scrum advocates for the continuous development and integration of features and capabilities throughout the project lifecycle to ensure that at the end of every Sprint, a potentially releasable product increment is ready.
How does Scrum’s concept of ‘Done’ support Continuous Integration?
- a) By ensuring that all code is fully integrated, tested and working as expected before it is ‘Done’
- b) By allowing developers to work on features individually
- c) By promoting longer coding sessions without breaks
- d) None of the above
Answer: a) By ensuring that all code is fully integrated, tested, and working as expected before it is ‘Done’
Explanation: This supports the principle of CI, where code is integrated regularly, and ensures that features developed during each Sprint are production-ready.
Which Scrum artefact supports Continuous Integration by acting as the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product?
- a) Scrum board
- b) Product Backlog
- c) Sprint Backlog
- d) Burn down chart
Answer: b) Product Backlog
Explanation: The Product Backlog is continuously updated and refined throughout the project, allowing for the continuous integration of new features, improvements, and requirements.
True or False: Scrum encourages the practice of regular code integration, a key principle of Continuous Integration.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Scrum practices support CI by encouraging frequent integration of code, often done on a daily basis after the Daily Scrum meeting.
In Scrum, who is responsible for managing and ordering the Product Backlog to achieve the best possible value?
- a) Scrum Master
- b) Product Owner
- c) Development Team
- d) Stakeholders
Answer: b) Product Owner
Explanation: This supports CI as the Product Owner ensures the most valuable features are continuously integrated into the product by prioritising the backlog items effectively.
How does the concept of Sprints support Continuous Integration in Scrum?
- a) By allowing the team to work on many features at once
- b) By facilitating constant discussions and debates among teams
- c) By ensuring a potentially releasable product increment after each Sprint
- d) None of the above
Answer: c) By ensuring a potentially releasable product increment after each Sprint
Explanation: Each Sprint aims to create a potentially releasable product increment, thereby fostering continuous integration of features and capabilities.
Interview Questions
Q1: How does Scrum support Continuous Integration (CI) in terms of frequent product iteration?
A1: Scrum supports CI by embracing short sprints (usually 2-4 weeks) where the team aims to produce a potentially shippable increment. This frequent iteration promotes regular integration and testing of the software, lowering the chances of significant issues at the end of the development cycle.
Q2: Can you give an example of how Scrum promotes transparency in the CI process?
A2: Scrum promotes transparency in CI through regular Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospectives. The review provides a demo of the new iteration to stakeholders and the retrospective allows the development team to discuss what went well and what didn’t, thereby improving the CI process.
Q3: Does Scrum facilitate Continuous Integration by promoting cross-functional teams, and if so, how?
A3: Yes, Scrum emphasizes having cross-functional teams where all the necessary skills to produce a product increment are present in the team, thereby reducing dependencies. This promotes Continuous Integration as it means everyone on the team understands and can contribute to the CI process.
Q4: How does Scrum support CI through preventing integration problems?
A4: Scrum supports CI by promoting frequent integration of work, which helps discover potential integration problems early and fix them when they are less costly and time-consuming to resolve.
Q5: How does Scrum support frequent testing, a major requirement in CI?
A5: Scrum encourages testing to be done within the sprint where the features were developed, promoting a “shift left” in testing – meaning testing earlier in the development cycle. This supports CI by helping to catch and resolve bugs quickly and regularly.
Q6: What is the role of the Scrum Master in supporting the CI process?
A6: The Scrum Master supports the CI process by removing impediments that could hinder the team’s progress, coaching the team in Agile and Scrum principles, and helping the team maintain their CI tools and practices.
Q7: Can you explain how the Product Owner in a Scrum team supports Continuous Integration?
A7: The Product Owner can support CI by continuously refining the Product Backlog, providing clear and testable acceptance criteria, and being available to provide quick feedback, all of which aid in the seamless development, integration, and testing of software.
Q8: How does the emphasis on self-organizing teams in Scrum support CI?
A8: Self-organizing teams have the autonomy to decide how to do their work, which often leads to them establishing practices like Continuous Integration that enhance effectiveness, create shared ownership of code, and enhance quality.
Q9: How can the Daily Scrum or stand-up meeting support the CI process?
A9: The Daily Scrum helps in maintaining CI by focusing on what has been done, what is planned for today, and identifying any obstacles. This allows for immediate resolution of issues affecting the CI process.
Q10: Is there a relationship between the Scrum principle of “inspect and adapt” and Continuous Integration?
A10: Yes, the Scrum principle of “inspect and adapt” relates to CI as CI is all about regularly integrating and testing and then adapting based on the immediate feedback, much like inspecting and adapting on a Sprint basis in Scrum.
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