SCM process is designed to maintain product and process integrity so that changes do not have adverse impact on cost, quality and performance of the product. It has to ensure that the existing customers and users of the product are not affected and their support and service needs are fully met by the scope of the product used by them, and at the same time, new customers and users are served efficiently and effectively. SCM achieves this through three main processes as identities by IEEE:

•    Identification of configuration components
•    Change management control
•    Product status accounting, auditing and management

This process requires us to freeze the baseline product, which one might say is the mother of all subsequent version, extensions an variations. It is also termed as baseline for reference. The product baseline further can be viewed and split into RDD baseline, design baseline and document baseline. The baseline product for the purpose of change handling needs to be broken down  in a systematic manner (similar to modularization of the system) into smaller components for the purpose of its management throughout the product life cycle. These identifies components are the basic units for modification and control; hence, they are numbered and tagged for identification, access and control.

CMC is triggered through a change requirement from user, customer of from developer the CMC process.



The request for change may arise due to the following reasons
•    Bugs detected while in use,
•    For improving the process,
•    Function and features for effectiveness and efficiency,
•    Out of a business need for moving to a new platform,
•    Expanding the scope, or expanding the system to other domains.
In all these requirements of change the configuration management group has to describe its utility and other technical and commercial implications and then make the decision of accepting the CR for implementation. All accepted CRs are then priorities and scheduled for effecting the change in a planned manner.

Product Status Accounting and Management
In the product life cycle, change request continue to flow in and they need to be handled satisfactorily to maintain good relations with the user, customer and stakeholder community. It disposal in an orderly manager is absolutely essential. At any point of time, in a large complex system many requests are pending for consideration and other are being implemented. The baseline product and baseline components undergo a change and assume new status. Since this change management process is dynamic, it requires a central Configuration Management. The role of product status accounting is to ensure a that the product in its latest status is functional in all respects and all concerned are informed.

For more help in SCM Activities click the button below to submit your homework assignment