• Oracle 11i
• Visual Basic 7.0
• Power Builder 8.0

What are these 11i, 7.0,8.0?

These are versions
Why so?

Oracle or MS or Power Soft come up with a product first. Depending upon the market requirement and Industry demand, they react. Some addition/ Alteration/ Obsolence in the existing version. Finally the new product is launched.

Requirement arises because Organizations are building Larger, Complex, Fully Integrated Software, Newly developed Applications are merged with the existing one

Why to record different versions?

Impact of Changes are necessary

1. Different people/ customers might use different versions
2. Moreover service is required for the older versions, until the product is declared Obsolete nPricing and Market survey is necessary

What are Configurable Items?

Any item, which may undergo a change is called a Configurable Item or CI in a brief. Any CI must have a version number. If one is preparing a Project, then the Project Plan, Team Composition, Schedule, SRS (Software Resuirement Specification), SDD, Programs etc. are CIs for that Project
Advantages

• Changes can be properly tracked
• The latest version can be made available
• More accountability (Say the Customer has changed the SRS 5 times, so the Pricing can be relooked at)
• Older versions and changes can help to make more correct estimation

Questions to be asked

1. Which one is the latest Specs?
2. Which version has been sold?
3. Are these programs for version 8.0 or 9.0?
4. What are the test results?
5. What are the Software Tests?

What is Configuration Management?

• Management Discipline Process
  Customer’s Requirement – Cheap Products, Fast Delivery
• Products and Services tailored
• Increased exacting expectation

Some Uses and Benefit

• Started in Defense and Aerospace
• Allows configure and Reconfigure as per customer’s requirement before and after sales

Effects

1. Instantly communicate and control engineering changes, and determine which changes have been implemented.
2. Plan and control product configurations, especially in supporting mass configure-to-order manufacturing and high levels of customization, using several supply sources.
3. Minimize the number of changes after production begins, reducing delays and re-work. nSynchronize parallel/concurrent or collaborative product development at divergent sites, reducing lead time without propagating errors
4. Synchronize multi-source procurement and multi-site manufacturing through centrally controlled and distributed Bills of Material (BOM) and related specifications, to yield a product consistent with a single set of specifications.
5. Quickly re-configure a complex supply chain to respond to rapidly shifting customer requirements.
6. Optimize the maintenance of highly varied technical assets and products, by ensuring that repair/ upgrade crews have the correct parts, tools and drawing to execute.
7. Trace problems back to their origins, and forward to locate faulty or out-of-date components or documents that may have been or will be placed in use.
8. Achieve “right-first-time” business execution.
9. Tangible value to all stages of Product Life Cycle
10. Properly modeled – Close-Loop Controls are implemented – Interface to the Next Stage is defined

The Definitionn

“The art of coordinating software development to minimize confusion”

“A discipline…to identify functional and physical characteristics, control and report changes to those characteristics”
Basic Task

1. Identify the baseline Items
2. Version Control
3. Change Control
4. Configuration Auditing
5. Configuration Status Reporting

How to do CM?

• Identify and Define all Items, need to be tracked
• Define a proper Document control System for SRS, SDD etc.
• Define a proper Identification system for all Programs
• Decide the Configuration Manager
• Define the Review and Approve Authority nMaster Index – Document and Programs

How to version?

• Go on your own
• Depends upon the type of requirement nMethodology varies from Organization to Organization
• No rigid rule
• Examples nSWS/PD/PMP/C2/1.0 nSR/SWS/CM/0102/1.0

What is required for SCM?

1. Repository to store all developed modules
2. A scientific self-devised mechanism to manage versioned modules
3. Controlled and Restricted access to the Repository
4. Strict policies for maintain security of the Repository

Baseline

• The repository, a known point, with proper access control – baseline
• A Properly reviewed item, agreed upon that thereafter serves as the basis for further development – a Baselined Item
• Any component which constitutes a work deliverable and designated for change control – CI
• A CI can be changed only through configuration control procedures.

Other Related Terms

Configuration Management Plan

The configuration management plan defines the implementation (including policies and methods) of Configuration Management on a particular project.

Configuration controller

A person authorised to do Configuration Control. The project manager nominates the configuration controller. His/ her responsibilities shall be defined in the Configuration Management Plan

Storage

Storage means preservation of documents.

Archival

Removal of Unused documents to a proper place
How to?

1. Identify the Configuration Controller
2. The CM Plan is prepared
3. Determine Review and Approve authorities
4. Determine Configuration controller

Change control

• Uncontrolled Change lead to Chaos
• Define procedures Review and Approve
• Access Control
• Useful Tools

Change Control Procedure

1. Change Request and Impact Analysis
2. Review and Approve
3. Assign the CI number, Baseline the CI
4. Synchronization control
5. Determine the Obsolete Plan

CI Audit

• Identify the Auditor
• Check all CIs and their Locations
• If any discrepancy found, it must be reported

Basis of Audit

1. CM policies, procedures and practices
2. Approval for S/W Documents
3. Compliance with Processes, Procedures, Contract Reviews, Customer Requirement