A grid-enabled ANT system that includes ANT XML task files that can run on both grid-enabled machines or stand-alone computers is disclosed. A network file server is used to store files accessed during the build process, and ANT's standard XML tagging and parameters are used, thus enabling the user to use a standardized format for entering XML information. This grid-enabled ANT is transparent to the user since ANT parses the tasks and automatically sends jobs to the grid, when appropriate, instead of the user deciding which tasks to implement as grid tasks.