26.4 Requirements for Configuration Management Tools

Acquiring and implementing a tool can be a large investment. It's of course necessary to determine if a tool fulfills a company's general requirements for configuration management. Therefore, it's necessary to be aware of these requirements, preferably in relation to a classification of needs and available tools. Some of the aspects that should also be considered are (in alphabetical order) integration with other tools, performance, scalability, usability, and Web access.

Integration with Other Tools

Investigate how a configuration management tool the company is considering will integrate with tools already in use. Some configuration management tools offer integration with publishing tools, such as FrameMaker. This may be important if configuration management involves documents with composite items, such as drawings and diagrams, or Web pages with many embedded components . Some configuration management tools (such as 4GL tools) may be integrated with complex development environments.

If the development tools in use do not fulfill the requirements for configuration management, they should be compatible with configuration management tool(s) to be used. Investigate how such integration may be accomplished and the effort required, with regard to both supplier(s) and the company itself.

Performance

The many aspects of performance have a greater impact on everyday life than most people think. This may involve the time needed for

• Placement in storage

• Extract for use, for both individual configuration items and large deliveries

• Consolidation and synchronization of data

• Production of status reports , both simple and complex

Performance aspects should be evaluated under realistic circumstancesboth locally and over distances, if that is the needand in an environment with a normal load, not just in an isolated test environment.

Scalability

Investigate whether a tool can handle the requisite volumes . As an example, the volume of information (or contents) of a Web system may be enormous , especially if the system contains many pages that change rapidly and/or are quickly replaced by new pages, or where it's necessary to re-create an entire Web system for a specific day for commercial or legal reasons. Volume may also be a question of a large number of users of the configuration management tool and/or a large number of platforms involved, possibly over great distances. A configuration management tool should be able to grow with the company, at least for the foreseeable future.

Usability

Usability is a measurement for how easy a configuration management tool is to get to know and to use. It encompasses aspects like intuitive human interface, help facilities and user documentation, correspondence with existing work processes (both manual and computer-assisted), and customization facility. A usability assessment should be part of the evaluation of prospective configuration management tools.

Web Access

Tools used to support development of Web systems should have a Web interface, to permit using the same environment for all parts of the development. Some tools have Web interfaces, while others are targeted specifically for the development of Web systems (e.g., Web Integrity from MKS, Web Synergy from Continuus, and StarTeam from Starbase). Test a tool thoroughly to see if it fulfills Web needssales material can come on strong.