Software configuration identification identifies items to be controlled, establishes identification schemes for the items and their versions, and establishes the tools and techniques to be used in acquiring and managing controlled items. These activities provide the basis for the other SCM activities.
Identifying Items to Be Controlled
One of the first steps in controlling change is identifying the software items to be controlled. This involves understanding the software configuration within the context of the system configuration, selecting software configuration items, developing a strategy for labeling software items and describing their relationships, and identifying both the baselines to be used and the procedure for a baseline’s acquisition of the items.
Software Configuration
Software configuration is the functional and physical characteristics of hardware or software as set forth in technical documentation or achieved in a product. It can be viewed as part of an overall system configuration.
Identify Configuration Items
Identify the configuration items, components, and related work products that will be placed under configuration management.
Configuration identification is the selection, creation, and specification of:
- Products that are delivered to the customer
- Designated internal work products
- Acquired products
- Tools
- Other items that are used in creating and describing these work products
Items under configuration management will include specifications and interface documents that define the requirements for the product. Other documents, such as test results, may also be included, depending on their criticality to defining the product.
A “configuration item” is an entity designated for configuration management, which may consist of multiple related work products that form a baseline. This logical grouping provides ease of identification and controlled access. The selection of work products for configuration management should be based on criteria established during planning.
Configuration items can be decomposed into configuration components and configuration units. Only the term “configuration item” is used in this process area. In these practices, “configuration item” may be interpreted as “configuration component” or “configuration unit” as appropriate. For example, configuration items in the area of requirements management could vary from each individual requirement to a set of requirements.
Select the configuration items and the work products that compose them based on documented criteria. Example criteria for selecting configuration items at the appropriate work product level include:
- Work products that may be used by two or more groups
- Work products that are expected to change over time either because of errors or change of requirements
- Work products that are dependent on each other in that a change in one mandates a change in the others
- Work products that are critical for the project
Examples of work products that may be part of a configuration item include:
- Process descriptions
- Requirements
- Design
- Test plans and procedures
- Test results
- Interface descriptions
Assign unique identifiers to configuration items.
Specify the important characteristics of each configuration item. Example characteristics of configuration items include author, document or file type, and programming language for software code files.
Specify when each configuration item is placed under configuration management. Example criteria for determining when to place work products under configuration management include:
- Stage of the project life cycle
- When the work product is ready for test
- Degree of control desired on the work product
- Cost and schedule limitations
- Customer requirements
Identify the owner responsible for each configuration item.
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