Recently a friend asked me how they could get started using Continuous Integration (CI). I've written about the theory and practice behind CI before.

Here is my checklist for getting your application and team going with CI:

  1. Find the main integration branch in your VCS (trunk, master or an integration branch)
  2. Work out how to build the application locally
  3. Automate this build in a single script
  4. Choose and setup your CI software (i.e. Jenkins, TeamCity, TravisCI)
  5. Get the application building on the CI (first get the version control checkout, then use the build script)
  6. Let everyone on your team know where the CI job is
  7. Inform your team about the options for notification of broken builds (email, IDE plugins, desktop notifiers, TV with dashboard)
  8. Encourage everyone to commit at least once a day
  9. Make sure the team know they have to keep the build green

If you are looking to use a TV dashboard I highly recommend Dashing, which is a lovely Metro-like dashboard that runs in your web browser.