Enable more frequent integration of software in industry projects

Journal article, 2018

Based on interviews with 20 developers from two case study companies that develop large-scale software-intensive embedded systems, this paper presents twelve factors that affect how often developers commit software to the mainline. The twelve factors are grouped into four themes: "Activity planning and execution", "System thinking", "Speed" and "Confidence through test activities". Based on the interview results and a literature study we present the EMFIS model, which allows companies to explicate a representation of the organization's current situation regarding continuous integration impediments, and visualizes what the organization must focus on in order to enable more frequent integration of software. The model is used to perform an assessment of the twelve factors, where the ratings from participants representing the developers are summarized separately from ratings from participants representing the enablers (responsible for processes, development tools, test environments etc.). The EMFIS model has been validated in workshops and interviews, which in total included 46 individuals in five case study companies. The model was well received during the validation, and was appreciated for its simplicity and its ability to show differences in rating between developers and enablers.