continuous development
noun
Continuous development means improving software continuously in small steps. Automated testing and integration help teams deliver changes regularly and in a controlled way.
With continuous development, the team adds small improvements to the application each week.
Software often continues to evolve after its first release. Users provide feedback, new requirements emerge, and existing features need maintenance. With continuous development, a team makes these changes in small steps.
How does continuous development work?
Developers record their changes in a Glossary · In briefversion controlVersion control records changes to code, including who changed what and when. It lets developers collaborate, compare changes and return to an earlier version.Read more. Automated tests check the behaviour of the modified code against predefined expectations. Merging changes regularly helps reveal whether different developers' work fits together.
The team can organise its work using Glossary · In briefagile & scrumAgile is an approach to developing software in small steps and adapting based on feedback. Scrum gives it structure through short sprints and regular team discussions.Read more. Separate environments, as used in Glossary · In briefOTAPOTAP is the Dutch abbreviation for Development, Test, Acceptance, and Production. These are separate environments for building, testing, reviewing, and using software.Read more, provide a place to test and review new versions before users start working with them.
How does it differ from continuous integration and deployment?
Continuous development is a broad term for ongoing development. Glossary · In briefcontinuous integrationContinuous integration is a practice in which developers regularly merge small code changes and check them automatically, making integration problems visible early.Read more specifically means regularly merging and automatically checking code. Glossary · In briefcontinuous deploymentContinuous deployment is a practice in which every software change that passes all automated checks goes to production without a manual approval step.Read more takes every change that passes all automated checks straight to production.
Ongoing development does not mean every change goes live immediately. A team can include a review or approval step before making a new version available.