Software Configuration Management Process

Software Configuration Management Process is a very difficult concept to define.

It encapsulates so many different aspects of the software development lifecycle.

This website has defined SCM to include these functions and processes:

• SCM Tool Administration
• Software Build Engineering
• Installation Packaging
• Software Change Management
• Configuration Management

It is easy to get distracted in the details of the tasks and processes.

Taking a higher-level approach may serve to clarify and solidify what the Software Configuration Management Process attempts to achieve:

• Facilitates Timely Communication
• Enforces Development Policies
• Ensures Technical Standards
• Manages Hand-offs between Environments and Teams

A very good description from "Software Configuration Management A Roadmap":

SCM is the control of the evolution of complex systems.

In the end, the Software Configuration Management Process needs to ensure integrity of the software it supports.

It also needs to integrate with all the other standards and processes that surround the software and the business.

• Software Configuration Management Processes

Process Name	Description
Agile	Implementing Agile SCM processes and practices will help your ability to successfully implement Agile software development processes.
CMMI	CMMI, Capability Maturity Model Integration, was originally intended to objectively assess the ability of government contractors' processes to deliver the contracted software projects. Originally, a software development process improvement tool, CMMI can be used as a generally applicable model to assist in understanding the process capability maturity of organizations in diverse areas.
Disaster Recovery	Disaster Recovery is the ability of an organization to minimize the effects of a disaster that would disrupt normal business operations. To minimize development disruption during a disaster, a proper SCM DR Plan is required.
Feature Driven Development	Feature Driven Development, FDD, is just that. It is a short-iteration development process that delivers features in logical incremental intervals.
ITIL	ITIL, Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a customizable framework of best practices that help deliver IT services and promote process improvement of services.
Project Management	Software Quality Assurance provides the standards, processes and procedures that ensure that a software application meets it's requirements and is properly tested. To accomplish this effort, SQA must adhere to software engineering standards, such as: IEEE ISO 9000 CMMI Six Sigma
Quality Assurance	Software Quality Assurance provides the standards, processes and procedures that ensure that a software application meets it's requirements and is properly tested. To accomplish this effort, SQA must adhere to software engineering standards, such as: IEEE ISO 9000 CMMI Six Sigma
Release Management	Release Management, RM, is the process of managing a software release through the Software Development Process, SDP. This coordination between the different development processes and teams is crucial to the successful release of software. RM acts as the facilitator and milestone tracker of the software release. Tasks can include the following.
Six Sigma	Six Sigma seeks to identify and resolve the causes of defects and errors in engineering and business processes. It uses a set of quality management methods, including statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization who are experts in these methods. Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified financial targets.
SOX	SOX, Sarbanes Oxley, reporting and testing requirements are mandating formal approvals and reviews of people who have access to application source code.
SOA Strategies	SOA Strategies is the strategic vision an organization uses to employ Service Orientated Architecture. SOA stands for Service Orientated Architecture. It can be defined as a service or groups of services that work together to pass data or to coordinate some business process.
Software Development Process	The Software Development Process, SDP, is the methodology used by a development team or organization to produce software.

Software Change Management Software Change Management attempts to control, manage and support changes to software. Understanding and controlling changes is one of the biggest challenges to the software development team.

CMMI CMMI, Capability Maturity Model Integration, was originally intended to objectively assess the ability of government contractors' processes to deliver the contracted software projects. Originally, a software development process improvement tool, CMMI can be used as a generally applicable model to assist in understanding the process capability maturity of organizations in diverse areas.

Release Management Release Management is the process and practices for managing the software release from conception to the end of a software product's life.

Software Configuration Management Processes Software Configuration Management Process focuses on the many different processes and standards that surround SCM and software development.

SCMWise Software Configuration Management Software Configuration Management an inventory of Software Configuration Management pages and information.