Manipulating a CI/CD Pipeline in an IoT Embedded Project: A Quasi‐Experiment
Igor Muzetti Pereira, Tiago Carneiro, Eduardo Figueiredo · Journal of Software Evolution and Process · 2025
ABSTRACT Given the multidisciplinary complexity of embedded Internet of Things (IoT) projects and the demand for qualified professionals, this study investigates the influence of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) skills and developers' perceptions regarding applying these practices in this domain. We conducted a quasi‐experiment with 98 students from three undergraduate courses at two Brazilian federal universities, analyzing the impact of developer skills on CI/CD. The results showed that developers with no previous CI/CD skills faced more significant difficulties in practical activities. It was interesting to note that most participants in our sample already had some experience with real software development projects. However, most have never had real experience with an embedded IoT project or CI/CD tools. The approach we followed resulted in 92% success. Attendees expressed interest in more hands‐on training on CI/CD pipeline, DevOps, and embedded IoT projects. We also noticed a great need for them to have more practical experience with Git, GitHub, GitHub Actions, and GNU/Linux.