Most projects present teams with challenges relating to time, cost and scope. Careful management of these project elements allows projects to be completed successfully. In order to guide a project's direction, project managers utilize the process of configuration management. Project configuration management is the collective body of processes, activities, tools, and methods used to manage certain items during the project lifecycle. Configuration management is implemented to actively guide the direction of the project and support communication that will facilitate successful completion. Due to the increasing complexity of projects and greater competition among companies, the knowledge of configuration management techniques is more important than ever.
This standard defines five CM functions and their underlying principles. The functions are detailed in Section 5. The principles, highlighted in text boxes, are designed to individually identify the essence of the related CM function, and can be used to collectively create a checklist of criteria to evaluate a CM program.In describing each CM function and its principles, this standard utilizes neutral Configuration Management terminology, while also providing equivalent terms, that have historically been used in various product environments (see Table 2). There is no intent to express preference for any particular set of terminology.Similarly, this standard uses a neutral set of names for the phases of a product's life cycle, which are generic enough to be easily mapped to the myriad of different life cycle models in use. Table 1 illustrates some of the aliases for each phase name and identifies characteristics that apply in each one.Regardless of the titles chosen for these phases, or whether the product is a facility, software, an airplane or a machine screw, at some time in its history a product will go through all or most of these phases. The phases can have considerable overlap, or the sequence of the phases might change or be repeated, e.g., for product improvements and enhancements. Approved configurations of a product can be in the build, distribution, operation, and disposal phases simultaneously, and changes to those configurations may occur during all life cycle phases.Appropriate application of CM functions enables a user of this standard to plan and implement a CM program for a product, project, or enterprise. The degree to which each of the CM principles applies to a product varies over the product's life cycle. Some principles do not apply during every phase of the product's life cycle, e.g., configuration verification and audit principles are not applicable in the conception or definition phases. The degree of rigor and techniques used in implementing CM is commensurate with the type of product and its application environment as defined by program requirements.All five CM functions are necessary to some degree for all products. A robust CM approach is required for a complex product, such as an electronic system, a military weapon, or other product that must be supported over the complete product's life cycle. Simpler CM techniques may be applied to non-complex products as long as they maintain the needed consistency between essential requirements, product configuration information and the product.An organization that has the responsibility for performing Configuration Management for a product during some period of its life cycle could be a commercial enterprise, e.g., a contractor, a subcontractor, a supplier, or a government agency. References in this standard to the customer should be interpreted as the entity that specifies requirements (performance attributes) for the product or that acquires and uses the product. A customer may be external to the developing and producing organization, or may be an internal customer such as marketing, management, or the using department.Configuration Management functions related to a product may be the responsibility of several organizations during its life cycle. For example, one organization with the responsibility to design and build a product will perform Configuration Management during the definition and build phases; other organizations or government activities with responsibility for upgrading the product and servicing units will perform Configuration Management during the operation phase.GEIA-HB-649, "Implementation Guide for Configuration Management", provides additional "how to" guidance for planning, managing, and implementing CM functions and principles.
Anne Mette Jonassen Hass explains the principles and benefits of a sound configuration management strategy. This volume is designed to help the professional put that strategy into action.
This handbook is intended to assist the user to understand the ANSI/EIA-649B standard principles and functions for Configuration Management (CM) and how to plan and implement effective CM. It provides CM implementation guidance for all users (CM professionals and practitioners within the commercial and industry communities, DoD, military service commands, and government activities (e.g., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)) with a variety of techniques and examples. Information about interfacing with other management systems and processes are included to ensure the principles and functions are applied in each phase of the life cycle for all product categories. Initiated to synchronize content and harmonize terminology contained in both the GEIA-HB-649 and the MIL-HDBK-61A with its companion standard ANSI/EIA-649B by consolidating the content of two handbooks. This handbook provides a one-stop shop for all CM professionals and practitioners to obtain recommended practice implementation guidance information that has actual use cases provided by Industry/Commercial and the Government/Department of Defense representing a cohesive and aligned community. This handbook is periodically revised to incorporate new ideas, examples and improvements as requested or identified by the using community. User input is expressly requested.Beneficial comments (additions, changes, deletions) and other pertinent data which may be of use in improving this document should be submitted to: SAE International, Attention G-33 committee, 755 W. Big Beaver, Suite 1600, Troy, MI 48084 United States of America (USA). Proposed changes by DoD activities must be submitted to the DoD Adopting Activity at [email protected] or Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, ATTN: SEA 05S, 1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE, Stop 5160, Washington Navy Yard DC 20376-5160.Copies of this document may be purchased from: SAE Customer Service, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 USA. If in the United States (U.S.) or Canada please call: 1-877-606-7323; If outside the U.S. or Canada please call: 724-776-4970 or order online at http://store.sae.org/ordering/.To request permission for copyright material please visit website www.sae.org/about/copyright to obtain the form to fill out. Upon completion, email your request to [email protected].
An effective systems development and design process is far easier to explain than it is to implement. A framework is needed that organizes the life cycle activities that form the process. This framework is Configuration Management (CM). Software Configuration Management discusses the framework from a standards viewpoint, using the original
Software configuration management (SCM) is one of the scientific tools that is aimed to bring control to the software development process. This new resource is a complete guide to implementing, operating, and maintaining a successful SCM system for software development. Project managers, system designers, and software developers are presented with not only the basics of SCM, but also the different phases in the software development lifecycle and how SCM plays a role in each phase. The factors that should be considered and the pitfalls that should be avoided while designing the SCM system and SCM plan are also discussed. In addition, this third edition is updated to include cloud computing and on-demand systems. This book does not rely on one specific tool or standard for explaining the SCM concepts and techniques; In fact, it gives readers enough information about SCM, the mechanics of SCM, and SCM implementation, so that they can successfully implement a SCM system.
The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large-scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You’ll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient—lessons directly applicable to your organization. This book is divided into four sections: Introduction—Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practices Principles—Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE) Practices—Understand the theory and practice of an SRE’s day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systems Management—Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use
The minimum required contents of a Software Configuration Management Plan (SCMP) are established, and the specific activities to be addressed and their requirements for any portion of a software product's life cycle are defined.
