The Evolution of Software Configuration Management

Abstract

Software Configuration Management (SCM) is a discipline in software engineering for managing changes to software products using standard processes and tools. This article presents the evolution of SCM since its inception, highlighting the components, application to other areas, change management and software quality. Research and development in SCM are highly motivated by the problems at hand in software development. SCM process and activities are sound, guided by international standards and industry best practice. Commercial and proprietary tools are aplenty, and the underlying techniques are no longer confined to SCM. SCM has been applied to other areas since the turn of the century and change management has become a tool-oriented process, rather than a management-oriented process. The role of human in SCM has yet to be studied extensively compared to other areas in software engineering. Software quality is associated with defects and quality factors are measured differently based on projects and metrics.