Title: Configuration Management (CM) Plans: The Beginning to Your CM Solution

Author(s): Susan Dart, Nadine Bounds

Abstract: Automated support for configuration management (CM) is one aspect of software engineering environments that has progressed over the last 20 years. The progress is seen by the burgeoning interest in CM, more technical papers and conferences about CM, a large number of CM tool vendors, and new software development environments that incorporate CM capabilities. This paper is about future issues affecting solutions to CM problems. To put the future into perspective, it is necessary to discuss the past and present situation for CM. The past evolves around CM systems built in-house and supplemented with manual procedures and policies for carrying out the CM functions. The present consists of a better understanding of CM and its importance in an organization, existence of many third-party CM tools and environments supporting CM, the beginnings of a common vocabulary for CM, and recognition that a single CM system is not a panacea and that there is a need for better understanding of CM process support. The future involves technical, process-oriented, political, standardization and managerial challenges. These include the need to provide for new CM requirements, understand the affects of advances in environments, deal with the U.S. government's requirement on contractors for using certain CM capabilities, and acquire more management commitment for resources in solving the CM problems of an organization. One way to start addressing these challenges is through the definition of a CM services model that provides a conceptual framework for all CM capabilities. As CM is examined more closely in relation to software engineering, it becomes evident that advances in software technology are needed to aid advances in CM technology.

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• Purpose
• Elements of the CM Solution
• Results of Interviews about CM Plans
• Interviews
• Summary of Results
• The Use of Automated Tools in Developing a CM Plan.
• Analysis of Results
• Creating a CM Plan
• An outline of a typical CM Plan
• Tips in Writing a CM Plan
• Examination of Three Standards for CM Plans
• Summary of Three Standards
  • IEEE Standard for Software Configuration Management Plans
  • NASA Software Configuration Management Plan Data Item Description
  • DoD Software Development Plan Data Item Description
• Recommendations on Standard and Tools
• Summary and Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• Questions and Answers
• Answers to questions about CM plans
• OUTLINE OF A MODEL CM PLAN
• INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION CRITERION
  • Ease of Use
  • Completeness
  • Tailorability
  • Consistency
  • Correctness
  • Life Cycle Connection
• BIBLIOGRAPHY

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