A while back, I wrote a review of Guiffy SureMerge for CM Crossroads. I even wrote about the process, here.
I’d like to think that I’m the guy for writing SCM tool reviews. I’ve been a vendor rep, so I know where a whole bunch of the bodies are buried. I am independent, so I don’t [...]
I was browsing some Spanish-language software development blogs, and came across a reference to MatchPoint, a mainframe-oriented product from a Swiss company called CM First AG.
These guys don’t seem to have any more idea than most about how to manage database changes, but their product (or at least, the pdf of the glossy brochure) [...]
(Note: This is part of the “Dimensions of SCM Challenge” series.)
Financial constraints are a given in any enterprise. Financial challenges arise when an enterprise attempts to reduce or control costs, or manage expenses. Usually SCM involvement in financial challenges is second hand, responding to the first-hand actions taken by management. An obvious example is pressure [...]
(Note: This is part of the “Dimensions of SCM Challenge” series.)
The simplest capability challenge from an SCM standpoint is SCM capability. Can you, or can your team, effectively manage the changes and/or configuration of your project? It’s hard to diagnose a lack of capability, because the team members are too busy dealing with the symptoms—each [...]
(Note: This is part of the “Dimensions of SCM Challenge” series.)
Changing or unknown requirements can be a huge source of problems for a development team. Fortunately, configuration management is designed to support exactly this development problem. Books and tools abound that address the issues of managing changes, documenting and tracing requirements, and ensuring that the [...]
(Note: This is part of the “Dimensions of SCM Challenge” series.)
For our purposes, there is not much difference between a standard and an interface. Either one can be nearly trivial to support, or can impose enormous costs on the project. Complying with an internal coding standard, an ISO language standard, or a database vendor API [...]
I wrote this stuff—all the dimensions of challenge bits—at the same time as the SCM Techniques. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. The challenges identify types of problem that you might have, or perhaps helps to decompose the problems you have. The techniques help to overcome the problems. I’m submitting both [...]
