Chapter 7. Build Pipelines

Build pipelines were conceived in software engineering in the 2012 book titled Continuous Delivery authored by Jez Humble, and David Farley. Since the release of this revolutionary book, there have been numerous technology organizations that have implemented build pipelines, to increase the efficiency of their software delivery process. While the idea of a build pipeline is new in software engineering, it is not an entirely new concept. The principles of build pipelines have been in place in the manufacturing industry for some time now, where they are better known as factory assembly lines. In manufacturing practices, organizations have effectively reduced costs in engineering and delivery, which as a result allowed them to become more competitive. Modern manufacturing processes, coupled with efficient automation, reduces the manpower required to assemble and deliver a product. This, in turn, reduces a company's operating expenses, and increases profit margins...