Being the build guy

Being the build guy, i.e being the one who is responsible for a smooth build and deployment process on a software project is a role that’s usually disliked by developers: It means a lot of system administration rather than coding. If something breaks and development grinds to a halt the burden of getting the project on the road again usually is on the person who manages the continuous integration server.

However, I think being the build guy on a project actually is quite rewarding because designing and maintaining smooth continuous integration and continuous deployment processes is the one aspect of a software development process that allows for both the quickest and largest gains in efficiency. Having short turn-around and test run times is a boon for every software project. Besides, if you do a good job as the build guy your fellow developers will be a lot happier. Can there be anything more worthwile?