Integrating automation technologies (version control, automated testing, etc.) proved to be the largest issue. A close second was lack of skilled people. The third-ranked barrier is lack of collaboration – or not having the right platform in place to implement continuous delivery.
SaaS companies see a lack of skilled people as their biggest barrier to starting continuous delivery. While non-SaaS companies think the biggest barrier is getting automation technologies to integrate.
TRP: How long does it take to move over to CD?
MW: More than half (53%) of respondents in the survey say it would take their organisation less than 12 months; 85% say it would take less than two years.
Furthermore, three quarters of respondents whose organisations have already begun adopting continuous delivery say they can move in less than one year, compared with only 41% of respondents who have not yet started their adoption.
These perceptions differ significantly from the views of some industry analysts, who see continuous delivery as a substantial change from most software development organisations' current practices.
Levels of optimism appear to vary by job role. Executives are more optimistic than developers about how quickly their organisations can change; they are more likely to think that they can move to continuous delivery in less than one year.
Among the more experienced software professionals, there is a big drop in the number who share the belief that the road to continuous delivery is only a year long – from 65% of those with less than 10 years of experience to 45% among respondents with more than 10 years of experience.
TRP: What kinds of systems need to be in place to support CD?
MW: Nearly all respondents recognise the role of their collaboration platforms as important in achieving Continuous Delivery. 71% view it as very or extremely important. Among respondents from SaaS companies, which have higher rates of adoption, 83% view their collaboration platform as very or extremely important.
