G10: Software Configuration Management

Software configuration management

• SCM manages the analysis phase of a software project

• Promotion is a new version internally available for developers

• Configuration items are identified during requirements elicitation

Change management

• A version is changed by implementing new bug fixes

• Change policy lists criteria a promotion or release has to conform to

• Change management just handles the naming and creation of a new version

Version control systems

• A distributed VCS does not enable developers to work offline

• A VCS allows multiple developers to view the same file sequentially through a lock token

• A merge conflict occurs if multiple developers modify the same part of the same file

Branch management

• The development branch is used to develop new code to solve a certain issue

• A review tries to make sure that no faulty code gets promoted

• To prevent merge conflicts one should push regularly to the development branch

Continuous integration

• A disadvantage is having too many executable versions of the system

• In regression testing executing large test suits after each change is easily done and finds many errors immediately

• Build Agents are used to run build processes in parallel

Release management

• A release manager plays the role of a liaison between different business units to achieve timely delivery of software products

• The software project should only be delivered after the implementation of everything was completely done

• Release management slows down publishing the software product to the market because it goes through many cycles first before release