Software Configuration Management(SCM) is an area, close which I had non written recently. So inwards a way, it was a long pending due, which had to hold out written. Recently I was asked past times 1 of my weblog readers, 'Veerendra', to write something close it together with its role inwards Software Testing. So I idea of writing this article. Hope this helps...
Software Configuration Management(SCM):
As the systems beingness built today increment inwards software content, the demand for software configuration administration continues to rise. Prime contractors are integrating millions of lines of code from multiple subcontractors. Companies are required to create together with hold variants of their primary production to accomplish out to a diversified market. Project Manager/leaders are aware of the demand to meliorate care together with command their projects.
Change is a fact of life inwards software development:
Customers desire to modify requirements, developers desire to modify the technical approach, together with administration wants to modify the projection approach. Modification is necessary, because, equally fourth dimension passes, all parties know to a greater extent than close what they need, which approach would hold out best, together with how to larn it done together with notwithstanding brand money. The additional cognition becomes the driving forcefulness behind most changes. But, these changes must hold out carefully controlled.
According to the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI’s) Key Process Areas Definition of software configuration administration (SCM) (Paulk et al. 1993a; Paulk et al. 1993b), the purpose of SCM is to constitute together with hold the integrity of the products produced throughout the project’s software life cycle. Knowing the province of the production that a projection is developing together with knowing that it satisfies the customer’s requirements are of utmost importance for whatever projection leader. SCM together with then tin flame hold out viewed equally a back upwards business office that helps a projection leader meliorate care together with command the projection (IEEE 1997).
SCM VS. Change Control:
SCM is often equated to modify control. Indeed modify command is a critical cistron of SCM, but it is entirely 1 of many. Following is a brief await at the components of SCM together with how they connect to supporting a projection leader’s mightiness to care together with command the project.
Configuration Management together with the Use of Peer Reviews:
Configuration administration condition accounting tin flame aid the projection leader brand decisions on what flat of formality peer reviews should follow. For example: The production the projection is edifice consists of fifty modules or units. Status accounting data reveals that 45 of the modules possess got changed 1 time inwards half dozen months, but v of the modules possess got changed 10 times per calendar month for the past times 2 months. With this configuration condition information, the projection leader tin flame take away to behave formal software inspections on the v modules that are experiencing rapid modify together with exercise less formal walkthroughs to ensure the integrity of the 45 modules that modify infrequently.
Interface Control:
The Definition of interfaces is 1 of the most of import SCM planning together with tracking activities (IEEE 1997). There must hold out understanding of each grouping or organization’s responsibility. Any proposed changes to the production or baselined configuration items tin flame hold out considered together with evaluated past times all affected groups.
There are 2 basic types of interfaces that must hold out considered: organizational interfaces together with technical interfaces. Organizational interfaces are those inwards which configuration administration controls the transfer of configuration items from vendor to customer, projection to project, together with co-developer to co-developer. SCM ensures that the right configuration items are sent to the right people. Organizational interfaces also include life-cycle stage interfaces. Phase interfaces decease critical when command of the production is beingness transitioned betwixt unlike groups (for example, software evolution grouping to independent evidence grouping for formal testing). Technical interfaces are descriptions that should hold out placed nether configuration administration command similar whatever other configuration item. Technical interfaces include system, user, software, hardware, together with communication interfaces.
Subcontractor Control:
If a share of a software evolution projection is to hold out subcontracted (out sourced) to or hence other organization, the responsibleness for the SCM mostly belongs to the contracting organisation together with specifically the projection leader of the projection that requires this exterior support. The subcontractor is unremarkably entirely responsible for the share of the piece of work that his or her organisation is tasked to perform. The integration of the subcontracted piece of work is unremarkably the responsibleness of the organisation that subcontracted portions of the work.
An effective SCM scheme greatly increases the chance to possess got portions of the production subcontracted out together with and then integrated dorsum into a whole that satisfies the customer’s technical together with character requirements. SCM must hold out applied to a subcontractor to ensure that the subcontractor is able to hold the integrity of the subsystem for which it has contracted (Paulk et al. 1993a; Paulk et al. 1993b). This includes placing necessary life-cycle products nether configuration command to ensure consistency amongst the primary evolution endeavor together with maintaining a subcontractor’s software library that volition free the agreed-upon configuration items or subsystems to the contracting organization.
Software Configuration Audits:
Configuration auditing verifies that the software production is built according to the requirements, standards, or contractual agreement. Auditing also verifies that all software products possess got been produced, correctly identified together with described, together with that all modify requests possess got been resolved (IEEE 1997; Kasse 1995).
A software configuration audit should hold out performed periodically to ensure that the SCM practices together with procedures are rigorously followed. The integrity of the software baselines must hold out assessed together with the completeness together with correctness of the software baseline library contents must hold out verified. The accuracy of the implementation of the changes to the baselines must hold out verified to ensure that the changes were implemented equally intended. It is recommended that a software configuration audit hold out performed before every major baseline change.
Software configuration auditing should hold out continuous, amongst increased frequency together with depth throughout the life cycle. Types of configuration audits include functional configuration audits, physical configuration audits, in-process audits, together with traceability audits .
SCM Plan:
The SCM conception is the document that describes how a projection volition care configurations (Paulk et al. 1993b; Whitgift 1991). The SCM conception should cover:
# The orbit of the plan, including the project, the software to hold out developed, together with the life-cycle phases
# The human relationship betwixt the SCM conception together with the other standards or plans that depict how the projection volition hold out managed (for example, software development, SQA plan)
# SCM roles together with responsibilities
# Configuration identification
# Baselining
# Configuration control
# Configuration administration condition accounting
# Interface control
# Subcontractor control
# Software configuration audits
# Software library
Conclusion:
SCM is 1 of the most of import physical care for improvement tools that Project Manager/leaders/Test Mangers tin flame exercise to evolve together with deliver their production inwards a controlled manner. Knowing the province of the production that a projection is developing together with knowing that it satisfies the customer’s requirements is of utmost importance for whatever projection leader. Since many of the most frustrating software problems are often caused past times miserable configuration management, proper configuration administration is critical.
Even if an organisation has lilliputian or no configuration administration inwards house together with is but getting started amongst a configuration administration program, v uncomplicated steps volition add together a swell bargain of command together with projection tracking information:
1) Formalize the exercise of reviews before a configuration especial is baselined;
2) Uniquely position scheme components;
3) Establish uncomplicated modify control;
4) Build upwards a repository of configuration items, modify requests, together with work reports; and
5) Restrict access to the projection library.
A skilful house to start is amongst uncomplicated condition reports, which may include entirely the versions 1 has. When developing a modify history, 1 tin flame expand to a condition accounting system, which includes who changed it, when, why, how, together with what was affected, equally described before inwards the article. Then, a configuration audit tin flame hold out performed to brand certain the approved modify requests possess got been implemented completely together with correctly. Once established, FCAs would hold out the adjacent pace to ensure that the scheme matches what was approved, together with cipher more. Then, a physical audit tin flame hold out added to ensure that the documentation matches the changes.
It is of import to implement requirements traceability from the get-go through systems testing, implementing life-cycle work-product consistency checks. This way that if a requirements modify asking has been accepted, 1 must decease through life-cycle phases to create upwards one's hear if it is necessary to brand a corresponding change. Without the mightiness to delineate through the life-cycle process, it cannot hold out done. Once 1 has the pattern document, he or she needs the mightiness to decease backward together with forrad to await at the other life-cycle piece of work products.
After expanding to multisite, multicountry, together with multicultural projects, 1 may hold out looking at implementing at multiple levels of command boards together with demand to ensure that all parts are beingness managed together with controlled amongst consistency together with integrity. Otherwise, it cannot all hold out brought together together with integrated into a working together with maintainable system. Ultimately, or hence projection managers are responsible for the entire integrated product!
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Software Configuration Management(SCM):
As the systems beingness built today increment inwards software content, the demand for software configuration administration continues to rise. Prime contractors are integrating millions of lines of code from multiple subcontractors. Companies are required to create together with hold variants of their primary production to accomplish out to a diversified market. Project Manager/leaders are aware of the demand to meliorate care together with command their projects.
Change is a fact of life inwards software development:
Customers desire to modify requirements, developers desire to modify the technical approach, together with administration wants to modify the projection approach. Modification is necessary, because, equally fourth dimension passes, all parties know to a greater extent than close what they need, which approach would hold out best, together with how to larn it done together with notwithstanding brand money. The additional cognition becomes the driving forcefulness behind most changes. But, these changes must hold out carefully controlled.
According to the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI’s) Key Process Areas Definition of software configuration administration (SCM) (Paulk et al. 1993a; Paulk et al. 1993b), the purpose of SCM is to constitute together with hold the integrity of the products produced throughout the project’s software life cycle. Knowing the province of the production that a projection is developing together with knowing that it satisfies the customer’s requirements are of utmost importance for whatever projection leader. SCM together with then tin flame hold out viewed equally a back upwards business office that helps a projection leader meliorate care together with command the projection (IEEE 1997).
SCM VS. Change Control:
SCM is often equated to modify control. Indeed modify command is a critical cistron of SCM, but it is entirely 1 of many. Following is a brief await at the components of SCM together with how they connect to supporting a projection leader’s mightiness to care together with command the project.
Configuration Management together with the Use of Peer Reviews:
Configuration administration condition accounting tin flame aid the projection leader brand decisions on what flat of formality peer reviews should follow. For example: The production the projection is edifice consists of fifty modules or units. Status accounting data reveals that 45 of the modules possess got changed 1 time inwards half dozen months, but v of the modules possess got changed 10 times per calendar month for the past times 2 months. With this configuration condition information, the projection leader tin flame take away to behave formal software inspections on the v modules that are experiencing rapid modify together with exercise less formal walkthroughs to ensure the integrity of the 45 modules that modify infrequently.
Interface Control:
The Definition of interfaces is 1 of the most of import SCM planning together with tracking activities (IEEE 1997). There must hold out understanding of each grouping or organization’s responsibility. Any proposed changes to the production or baselined configuration items tin flame hold out considered together with evaluated past times all affected groups.
There are 2 basic types of interfaces that must hold out considered: organizational interfaces together with technical interfaces. Organizational interfaces are those inwards which configuration administration controls the transfer of configuration items from vendor to customer, projection to project, together with co-developer to co-developer. SCM ensures that the right configuration items are sent to the right people. Organizational interfaces also include life-cycle stage interfaces. Phase interfaces decease critical when command of the production is beingness transitioned betwixt unlike groups (for example, software evolution grouping to independent evidence grouping for formal testing). Technical interfaces are descriptions that should hold out placed nether configuration administration command similar whatever other configuration item. Technical interfaces include system, user, software, hardware, together with communication interfaces.
Subcontractor Control:
If a share of a software evolution projection is to hold out subcontracted (out sourced) to or hence other organization, the responsibleness for the SCM mostly belongs to the contracting organisation together with specifically the projection leader of the projection that requires this exterior support. The subcontractor is unremarkably entirely responsible for the share of the piece of work that his or her organisation is tasked to perform. The integration of the subcontracted piece of work is unremarkably the responsibleness of the organisation that subcontracted portions of the work.
An effective SCM scheme greatly increases the chance to possess got portions of the production subcontracted out together with and then integrated dorsum into a whole that satisfies the customer’s technical together with character requirements. SCM must hold out applied to a subcontractor to ensure that the subcontractor is able to hold the integrity of the subsystem for which it has contracted (Paulk et al. 1993a; Paulk et al. 1993b). This includes placing necessary life-cycle products nether configuration command to ensure consistency amongst the primary evolution endeavor together with maintaining a subcontractor’s software library that volition free the agreed-upon configuration items or subsystems to the contracting organization.
Software Configuration Audits:
Configuration auditing verifies that the software production is built according to the requirements, standards, or contractual agreement. Auditing also verifies that all software products possess got been produced, correctly identified together with described, together with that all modify requests possess got been resolved (IEEE 1997; Kasse 1995).
A software configuration audit should hold out performed periodically to ensure that the SCM practices together with procedures are rigorously followed. The integrity of the software baselines must hold out assessed together with the completeness together with correctness of the software baseline library contents must hold out verified. The accuracy of the implementation of the changes to the baselines must hold out verified to ensure that the changes were implemented equally intended. It is recommended that a software configuration audit hold out performed before every major baseline change.
Software configuration auditing should hold out continuous, amongst increased frequency together with depth throughout the life cycle. Types of configuration audits include functional configuration audits, physical configuration audits, in-process audits, together with traceability audits .
SCM Plan:
The SCM conception is the document that describes how a projection volition care configurations (Paulk et al. 1993b; Whitgift 1991). The SCM conception should cover:
# The orbit of the plan, including the project, the software to hold out developed, together with the life-cycle phases
# The human relationship betwixt the SCM conception together with the other standards or plans that depict how the projection volition hold out managed (for example, software development, SQA plan)
# SCM roles together with responsibilities
# Configuration identification
# Baselining
# Configuration control
# Configuration administration condition accounting
# Interface control
# Subcontractor control
# Software configuration audits
# Software library
Conclusion:
SCM is 1 of the most of import physical care for improvement tools that Project Manager/leaders/Test Mangers tin flame exercise to evolve together with deliver their production inwards a controlled manner. Knowing the province of the production that a projection is developing together with knowing that it satisfies the customer’s requirements is of utmost importance for whatever projection leader. Since many of the most frustrating software problems are often caused past times miserable configuration management, proper configuration administration is critical.
Even if an organisation has lilliputian or no configuration administration inwards house together with is but getting started amongst a configuration administration program, v uncomplicated steps volition add together a swell bargain of command together with projection tracking information:
1) Formalize the exercise of reviews before a configuration especial is baselined;
2) Uniquely position scheme components;
3) Establish uncomplicated modify control;
4) Build upwards a repository of configuration items, modify requests, together with work reports; and
5) Restrict access to the projection library.
A skilful house to start is amongst uncomplicated condition reports, which may include entirely the versions 1 has. When developing a modify history, 1 tin flame expand to a condition accounting system, which includes who changed it, when, why, how, together with what was affected, equally described before inwards the article. Then, a configuration audit tin flame hold out performed to brand certain the approved modify requests possess got been implemented completely together with correctly. Once established, FCAs would hold out the adjacent pace to ensure that the scheme matches what was approved, together with cipher more. Then, a physical audit tin flame hold out added to ensure that the documentation matches the changes.
It is of import to implement requirements traceability from the get-go through systems testing, implementing life-cycle work-product consistency checks. This way that if a requirements modify asking has been accepted, 1 must decease through life-cycle phases to create upwards one's hear if it is necessary to brand a corresponding change. Without the mightiness to delineate through the life-cycle process, it cannot hold out done. Once 1 has the pattern document, he or she needs the mightiness to decease backward together with forrad to await at the other life-cycle piece of work products.
After expanding to multisite, multicountry, together with multicultural projects, 1 may hold out looking at implementing at multiple levels of command boards together with demand to ensure that all parts are beingness managed together with controlled amongst consistency together with integrity. Otherwise, it cannot all hold out brought together together with integrated into a working together with maintainable system. Ultimately, or hence projection managers are responsible for the entire integrated product!