Agile SCM: Basics for Small Teams

Communication gets more complex the larger the group of people. Small teams have  the advantage of being able to be aware of what each person is doing, and of having shared product vision. Small teams, being small, are also resource constrained, so you want to maximize time spent delivering value, and minimize the time spent in process overhead.

The Short Lists

Given the time constraints of small teams we'll be brief and list the essential items for success with SCM in tools and processes, grouped into general priorities.

Really Basic SCM

These items  might seem too basic to mention, but we'd be remiss not to mention them:

• Use a version management system (SCM Repository) as the only way you share code. There is no excuse for sharing code any other way. An SCM system gives you the ability to track changes, and have a central place to backup and recover the business asset that is your code.
• Create a process that enables one to get a workspace up and running quickly. A new person joining the team should be able to start with a set of tools, and then check out source code, run the application, and make a change on their first day. The process of making this possible will also make your deployment model more robust.
• Use a continuous integration (CI) environment. Having your code in a repository is good, but only in the sense that it is usable by others when they check out the code. A CI environment gives you a sanity check that your source code builds, which is the minimal criteria for it being usable. Also, enabling a CI environment means that you need to have a build process that is somewhat portable and consistent.

Keeping things working

The basic list will allow you to collaborate effectively and deliver features quickly, but you may still find yourself stumbling unless you add some practices to eliminate distractions:

• Create automated tests and run them as part of your build. Compiling, while necessary, is not sufficient for keeping code working. Automated testing, while adding time, will pay off with added robustness of code and the ability to make changes reliably.
• Work off of a single code line to start. Branch only once you have a delivered codeline to maintain, that you expect is stable. Each branch is a parallel line of development, and parallel work means a distraction from your main work.
• Deploy often. The real test of whether your SCM process is helping you to deliver your product is how effectively you can deploy. Don't wait until the end of a release to think about deployment practices. Start deploying your application the first day. This guards against problems only being discovered late in the process.
• Automate your deployments. The more automated your process is the easier it is to deploy more frequently. This becomes a virtuous cycle (of positive feedback).

Trace and Improve

The previous lists will get you most of the technical issues, but there are still things you can do to improve how you collaborate.

• Identify your commits with meaningful messages. Be explicit about the reason for a change in terms of business goals. Keep your commits consistent and cohesive -- avoid mixing changes to refactor existing code that doesn't change the functionality with changes to add new functionality -- split those into separate commits. If you use an issue tracking system, associate each commit with an issue number. Otherwise, refer to a feature or user story. While the code can often speak for itself, context is helpful.
• Think, and review. Since every team