Mastering Team Programming with Git: Best Practices and Workflows

Team programming over Git is a core part of modern software development processes. This article dives into the best practices and workflows that help teams effectively collaborate while using Git for version control.

Introduction to Team Programming with Git

Team programming, while often not done through Git directly, facilitates a collaborative environment within Git via practices like pair programming. In pair programming, one developer controls the input device, while the second developer contributes by watching and thinking critically, providing a broader perspective and valuable feedback. However, each commit in Git is still authored by a single person.

Understanding Git Workflow

Git workflow plays a crucial role in managing the codebase efficiently. A well-structured Git workflow allows teams to:

Maintain features independently

Exercise control over integrating features and bug fixes

Avoid conflicts

One such example of a Git workflow is the use of tickets integrated with Git commits. For instance, utilizing JIRA and Bitbucket, you can associate feature branches with JIRA stories. When a feature is committed to a branch titled feature/JR20174 and merged into develop or master, the corresponding JIRA story (JR20174) is marked as done.

Properly documenting which branches belong to which stories helps other developers understand the context and dependencies of the work. This ensures that code remains consistent, regardless of the team size.

Best Practices for Collaborative Development

Collaboration in Git typically involves branching, merging, and pull requests. These practices not only enhance code quality but also promote a clear understanding of the work being done.

Branching: Create branches for features or bug fixes. This isolates work, allowing multiple developers to work on different components without conflicting with each other's changes.

Merging: Use pull requests to merge changes from branches into the main branch. This ensures that code quality and compliance with coding standards are maintained.

Pull Requests: Before merging any code, review it through a pull request. This enables peer review, identifying potential issues early in the development process.

Integrating Git with Ticketing Systems

Integrating your Git commits with ticketing systems like JIRA or Version One can streamline the development process. For example, using JIRA and Bitbucket, you can link feature branches directly to JIRA stories. This connection ensures that:

Each commit corresponds to a specific task or feature

Stories are marked as complete upon merging the branch into develop or master

Transparency is maintained throughout the development lifecycle

By automating the linking of commits to stories, teams can:

Reduce manual effort in tracking progress

Ensure that all work done is captured and accounted for

Improve overall visibility and accountability

Additionally, making it a habit to pull code from the main branch every day and pull before pushing changes can help prevent conflicts and ensure that everyone is working on the latest codebase.

Managing Engineer Workflow and Ticketing Problems

While Git excels at managing source code, it may not address all engineering workflow or ticketing issues. For these, specialized tools like Version One or JIRA are often used. These tools help in:

Assigning and reassigning tickets

Tracking progress and milestones

Ensuring that all work is documented and tracked

For personal use, tools like Trello can be sufficient, providing a lightweight and intuitive way to manage tasks and tickets.

The key is to leverage Git for version control and specialized tools for managing engineering workflows and ticketing systems. Integrating these tools ensures a seamless and efficient development process.