Adoption and Adaptation of CI/CD Practices in Very Small Software Development Entities: A Systematic Literature Review

TL;DR

This systematic review examines how very small software development entities adopt and adapt CI/CD practices, highlighting challenges, effective tools, and strategies tailored to resource-constrained environments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of CI/CD adoption in VSEs, identifying practical adaptations and strategies to overcome resource limitations.

Findings

VSEs face resource and tool ecosystem challenges

Accessible tools like Jenkins and Docker facilitate adoption

Micro-pipelines and simplified frameworks improve implementation

Abstract

This study presents a systematic literature review on the adoption of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) practices in Very Small Entities (VSEs) in software development. The research analyzes 13 selected studies to identify common CI/CD practices, characterize the specific limitations of VSEs, and explore strategies for adapting these practices to small-scale environments. The findings reveal that VSEs face significant challenges in implementing CI/CD due to resource constraints and complex tool ecosystems. However, the adoption of accessible tools like Jenkins and Docker, coupled with micro-pipeline practices and simplified frameworks such as ISO 29110, can effectively address these challenges. The study highlights the growing trend of microservices architecture adoption and the importance of tailoring CI/CD processes to VSE-specific needs. This research contributes to the understanding of how small software entities can leverage CI/CD practices to enhance their competitiveness and software quality, despite limited resources.