There are plenty of good tools out there - the trick is to get them all to play together well. In this presentation, we go through the full process of setting up an automated software development infrastructure, from code changes and version control right through to automated deployment to staging and production.

Recently I had the pleasure of giving a talk at the Canberra Java Users Group on the topic 'Real Developers Don't Need Unit Tests':

"Unit testing, and Test-Driven Development in particular, is a vital but neglected art. Proper TDD don't just test code: your tests are executable requirements that tell the story of your application, clarify your design, document your code and help track your progress. They help you find bugs fast, and fix them with confidence. If Real programmers don't need unit tests, they sure make life easier for the rest of us!"

I've posed the slides for this presentation in this article.

Most developers nowadays are familiar with the basic tenets of Continuous Integration, but arguably only a small proportion of these are fully benefiting from an optimized CI set up. Indeed, an effective Continuous Integration environment can save your team time, money and even existential angst. Continuous communication flow, effective build process, code quality, and automated deployment are the four issues covered in this article. Read John Smart's Where To Now With Build Automation? - The Future of CI Best Practices, to better understand this topic.

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