Certified Scrum Master Practice Test

How does Continuous Integration benefit the development process?

1. It provides a barrier for frequent changes

2. It offers a safety net for making changes confidently

3. It eliminates the need for testing

4. It centralizes work in one update phase

The correct answer is: It offers a safety net for making changes confidently

Continuous Integration (CI) significantly enhances the development process by providing a safety net that allows developers to make changes to the codebase with confidence. This approach involves automatically integrating code changes from multiple contributors into a shared repository several times a day. By running automated tests on each integration, CI ensures that new code does not break existing functionality or introduce new bugs. This feedback loop is crucial because it allows developers to identify and address issues quickly, thus reducing the risk associated with integrating new features or changes. The ability to see the impact of changes immediately encourages a culture of experimentation and innovation, as developers are less fearful of potential negative consequences. As a result, teams can deliver updates and new features more rapidly while maintaining high code quality. In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the core principles of Continuous Integration. Barriers to frequent changes would hinder development rather than facilitate it, and testing is still essential even with CI; the practice does not eliminate the need for thorough testing but rather enhances and streamlines the testing process. Additionally, CI does not centralize work in one update phase; instead, it promotes regular and incremental updates, which contributes to a more agile and responsive development environment.