Understanding Configuration Management in Software Development

Software configuration management is an important element of software quality assurance.

The following configuration items should be maintained in the Version Control System:

• Project Specification
• Project Plan
• Project Requirements Specification
• Project Prototype
• User Manual
• Design Specification
• Preliminary Design
• Detail Design
• Source Code
• Test Plan
• Test Cases and recorded results
• Installation Manual
• Executable Programs
• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• Change orders
• Standards and procedures

This gives possibility to transparently handle version problems when several concurrent processes are in-place:

1. Version 1.0 development is finished, Version 1.0 Support Centre has been created, it is fixing bugs to Version 1.0, releasing new versions of Version 1.0
2. Version 2.0 development is in place
3. Version 3.0 development is only planned
4. Changes happen

The streamlined approach to configuration management will allow handling above situations without interfering either in project plan, source code, deliverables, documentation, user manuals, bug reports, etc.