135.5 Version control in a development workflow

Understand how version control supports collaboration, documentation, and Agile development in real-world projects.

Why use version control in real projects?

Version control isn’t just about saving code. It supports a structured, trackable workflow where developers can:

• Break large tasks into smaller units

• Work on different features at the same time

• Review and test changes before merging them

• Track who did what, when, and why

This is essential in collaborative and Agile development environments.

Git in an Agile workflow

In Agile projects, work is divided into sprints, and tasks are drawn from a project backlog. Version control tools like Git support this by:

• Creating branches for each task or user story

• Making frequent, small commits with meaningful messages

• Using pull requests to review and approve work before merging

• Tagging commits to mark milestones or release versions

Example workflow

1. Pull latest changes from the main branch

2. Create a branch for your sprint task:

   git checkout -b fix-bug-32

3. Create a pull request on GitHub to merge into main

4. Peer review and merge, resolving conflicts if needed

5. Delete branch after successful merge

This cycle repeats for each task in the sprint.

Writing meaningful commit messages

A good commit message tells others (and your future self) what changed and why.

• ✔ Add function to validate user input

• ✔ Fix bug: prevent crash when file is missing

• ✘ update

• ✘ stuff

Best practice:

git commit -m "Brief summary in present tense"

Use git log to review your history. Your future project reviews and testing logs will thank you.

Version tagging and releases

Tags are used to mark specific versions or releases of your software.

git tag v1.0
git push origin v1.0

Use tags when you:

• Complete a major feature set

• Prepare for a demo or handover

• Mark a backup before refactoring

Peer review and collaboration

On platforms like GitHub, pull requests are used to review code before it’s merged. Reviewers can:

• Add comments

• Suggest improvements

• Approve or block changes

This encourages quality control and shared understanding of the codebase.

Summary

• Git supports Agile workflows by allowing branching, tracking, and collaboration.

• Developers commit often, push regularly, and merge via pull requests.

• Good commit messages and tagging help with documentation and version history.

• Version control isn’t just about saving code—it’s about supporting teamwork, review, and reliability.

In the next topic, you’ll complete a practical challenge to use Git across an entire mini-project workflow, from setup to merge.