Some of the best practices for the CI process, well outlined by Martin Fowler, include the following:

• Maintaining a (single) source repository
• Automating of the build process
• Having a self-testing build / automated testing--Automation also enables test metrics
• Everyone committing to the baseline everyday--Reduces conflicts, improves frequent communication
• Every commit to the main baseline should be built
• Keeping the build fast--Fast building process to provide rapid feedback
• Fixing the broken builds immediately--This also encourages the fixing of potential bugs before writing new code
• Testing in a clone of the production environment--More realistic tests
• Making it easy to get the latest deliverables--Reduce rework in the sense that builds are readily available to stakeholders and testers
• Maintaining visibility of builds and tests failure(s)--Everyone can see what's happening: Visibility of builds and tests failure(s)
• Automating deployment (for example Continuous Delivery)