When working as a team, coordination and synchronization can be optimized to improve efficiency. Tracking and controlling the development life cycle streamlines development flow, reducing time and costs. The most important tools known to help manage the software life cycle are:
<aside> 💡
There are different options for four categories. Source code is synchronized between developers via a revision control system. Issue tracking systems (ITSs) usually consist of web platforms that track activity and known bugs of the system. Code reviews can be encouraged with certain web-based tools, and enforced through rules in revision control systems
</aside>
No matter whether you work alone or in a large development team, properly tracking development progress is essential. Revision control tools allow developers to roll back failed experiments at any time with the press of a button, and visiting the history provides a clear view of how the project is progressing over time. A revision control system, also known as version control system, or VCS, encourages collaboration by making merge operations easier. The latest official version is called trunk or master branch, depending on the VCS used
Often integrated in ITS tools nowadays, facilitating team collaboration by encouraging critical analysis of proposed changes to the code base, this can be useful for detecting potential problems before proposed changes make it to the master branch. or even enforced on teams, with the aim of improving code quality and early detection of defects by human inspection
<aside> 💡
This section is all about Organization. If Revision Control is your "Time Machine," an ITS (Issue Tracking System) is your "To-Do List."
Think of an ITS as a Task Manager.
</aside>
In the world of development, there is a simple rule for what to work on first: