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Getting Up to Speed with Git as a Business Analyst.

  • Writer: Gabriel Botsie
    Gabriel Botsie
  • Jan 12
  • 3 min read
Photo by Yancy Min on Unsplash.
Photo by Yancy Min on Unsplash.

The post describes Git and its usage on development projects. Supported by curated content, it further outlines key terms, platforms and tools. A summary and recommended actions follow.


What is Git?


Invented by Linus Torvalds, Git is a version control software enabling teams to collaborate, track, and manage code changes on software projects. Once installed, Git allows developers to work together while tracking edits to a shared codebase.

Used by technical functions like engineering teams; business analysts, product managers, and designers must have a working understanding of Git — effective communication / collaboration with their technical counterparts.


Key Terms


Key Git terms and a brief explanation.


  1. Repository — Where project files and revision history are stored

  2. Commit — Individual or set changes that are “committed” to the repository

  3. Branch — Divergent copies of a repository, allows working on different features/updates in parallel

  4. Merge — Integrate changes from separate branches back into a single branch

  5. Pull Request — Proposing that changes in a branch should be merged back into the main repository

  6. Clone — Copying a remote repo to your local environment to work on

  7. Push/ Pull — Pushing local commits to the remote repository (like Github) and pulling others’ commits from remote down to local repositories

  8. Fork — Creating a personal copy of another user’s remote repo in your own account

  9. Tag — Marking a specific commit as a “release” for easy reference, like v1.0


Business Analysts must be aware of the first 5 terms. Whilst the remaining terms are equally important, they can be introduced once the first 5 are fully understood.


The following videos from New Stack and IBM Technology provide greater detail. Both videos cover all or aspects of the above key terms.

Pull Requests and Commits Explained by Experts.
Git Tutorial for Dummies.

Whether intentionally comedic, the analogy of a lunchbox to describe pull requests and commits is worth 2 minutes and 50 seconds of anyone’s time.


Git Tutorial for Dummies is a longer — 19 minutes, 24 seconds — video. It’s a comprehensive, down to earth, no nonsense video. Included at the end is a list of commands discussed in the video.


Ok, so what’s GitHub?

Git vs. GitHub: What's the difference?

In the video, Nathan Hekman from IBM Cloud, provides an overview of Git and a definition of GitHub.


Git is the underlying version control system that enables codebase collaboration and management. GitHub is a hosting platform where Git repositories can be shared and accessed publicly or privately.


Are there other platforms / tools?


Yes, there are a range of other platforms and tools. Below are four other well known products.


Let’s sum it all up


  • Git — version control software, allows codebase collaboration, tracking and management.

  • GitHub and similar products host the codebase — greater sharing and collaboration.


Business Analysts need a working understanding of Git and supporting products. At the very least, it will help them converse with technical team members and give them an appreciation of technical events such as Code Reviews.


Actions


Below are three actions. I recommend action one for all. Depending on your ‘keenness’ you may want to tackle actions two and three.


1. Further Reading


Check out content from New Stack. The site has content covering a range of technical topics, including the below article.


Tutorial: Git for Absolutely Everyone

There is a fairly universal stereotype about programmers: we are reclusive introverts wanting to interface solely with…


2. Trending repositories


Find out which tool your development utilise. There’s a strong chance it’s GitHub. Repositories to follow is subjective, below is a list of trending GitHub repositories.


Build software better, together

GitHub is where people build software. More than 100 million people use GitHub to discover, fork, and contribute to…


3. Download Git


For the keen! Download and interact with Git, follow the instructions in the “Getting Git” section of Git for Absolutely Everyone article.





 
 
 

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