Configuration Management Journal - December 2006 - Vol. 5
No. 12
The Business of Software Development
Read it online at http://www.cmc
rossroads.com/cmjournal/
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This Issue Sponsored by:
- Avoid Gaps In Application Management - Quest Software
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/cid=656&mid=109
0&id=436
- IBM Rational Software Development Conference 2007
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/cid=657&mid=109
1&id=705
- Bridge the gap between project planning and outsourced
project
implementation with TechExcel and DevTrack.
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/cid=658&mid=109
2&id=405
- WEBCAST: Accelerating Software Delivery with Integrated
Change and Release Management
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/gid=8&
;cid=655&mid=1087&id=842
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- In This Issue
========================
- A Christmas (Configuration) Carol (Abridged)
by Robert Cowham, Brad Appleton and Steve Berczuk
- The Business of Software Development
CM Is a Cost Center, Not a Revenue Center
by Ben Weatherall
- When the build fails - the Business of Software
Development
by Bob Aiello
- The Business of Software Development
by Joe Farah
- DevZone:
Change and Release Management DevZone
- BOOK OF THE MONTH: CMMI Survival Guide:
Just Enough Process Improvement
- FROM THE ARCHIVES: A Study of Myers-Briggs Types
Relative to CM Professionals
by Mario Moreira
- CM Blogzone:
Read the latest from the CM Crossroads bloggers
- Tool Spotlight
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- Editors Note
=====================
As 2006 draws to an end and the CM Journal closes the book
on its' 5th year, we reflect a bit on the business end of
software development. We are, after all, not all in this
business just because we like to code or even because we
feel an irrepressible need to provide a sense of order to
the natural chaos of development. No, we are all here
primarily because it is our job. And although we may like or
love or jobs, and do them well even in phenomenally and
uniquely ways, there is business to be done.
So, the CM Journal writers address the business of software
development from a few angles; the cost justification and
return on investment process, the human capital exposure,
and the evolution of software development. The Agile SCM
guys also took a little license with the season and left us
with a tale that sounds somehow strangely familiar.
Next month and next year we will join you again to look at
both how CM and ALM faired in 2006 as well as some
predictions for the future. As always I look forward to your
comments and suggestions -- http://www.cmcros
sroads.com/comment
And don't forget that you can leave comments to the authors
for any article by clicking the link to [READ MORE] and then
filling out the comments box.
From the CM Crossroads team we all hope you have a fantastic
holiday season.
Patrick Egan
Editor in Chief
editor cmcrossroads.com
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***********
Sponsored by
Whitepaper: Best practices for release management
Avoid Gaps In Application Management
Fill the void between application development and operations
with best practices from Quest Software. Our white paper, “A
New
Approach to Release Management,” gives valuable information
to help
you automate, streamline and manage your deployment process.
Get this whitepaper at:
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0&id=436
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A Christmas (Configuration) Carol (Abridged)
by Robert Cowham, Brad Appleton and Steve Berczuk
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We have endeavored in this Ghostly little tale, to raise the
Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put our readers out of
humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or
with us. May it haunt their houses pleasingly, and no one
wish to lay it.
Their faithful Friends and Servants
C.D., R.C., B.A & S.B.
Charlie's Ghost
In which the ghost of (Configuration) Charlie appears to our
heroine SCM Sally to help her in her dealings with business
manager ‘Benezer Scrooge.
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7419/158/
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Sponsored By IBM Rational
Join thousands of IBM Rational users at the IBM Rational
Software Development Conference 2007. It all happens
June 10-14, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.
Register today!
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/cid=657&mid=109
1&id=705
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The Business of Software Development
CM Is a Cost Center, Not a Revenue Center
by Ben Weatherall
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Let's face it, unless you are a member of a consulting
service or produce CM products for sale, CM will not gain
you anything monetarily. Nothing. Nada. It is not our job to
"produce" or to create revenue. In fact, when CM
is present in an organization, they have to devote a
significant amount of direct and indirect fiscal resources
to fund CM. Why would any sane manager do this?
We sputter and try to justify ourselves with ROI and
increased quality of final product. We point to study after
study that says a lack of CM is directly related to many
product failures. We use all of the normal, "Of course
we have value to the company!" arguments. We point to
government regulations and process improvement efforts all
requiring CM. We point to our historical charter of
activities, "Identification, Control, Status Accounting
and Audit." When it all comes down to budget time,
those organizations that "get it" will direct
resources to CM and those that don't, won't.
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7415/158/
************************************************************
***********
Sponsored By:
Bridge the gap between project planning and outsourced
project implementation with TechExcel and DevTrack.
From concept to delivery, defect tracking to testing – and
everything in between
TechExcel DevSuite is the single solution for your
knowledge-centric development team.
Download a free 30-day trial today.
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/cid=658&mid=109
2&id=405
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When the build fails - the Business of Software Development
by Bob Aiello
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Fixing a broken release management process is a very
challenging task that can take significant resources in
terms of human effort, cost expenditures and significant
organizational change in order to implement the required
development processes. However, ignoring release management
problems can be a very costly mistake that can adversely
impact the business in many ways. The business of software
development requires smart choices, skilled process
engineering and technical expertise. Mostly it requires a
good business approach. Read on if you really want to be a
success in improving your build and release processes.
There have been many times in my career, when I have been
asked to tackle fixing a seriously broken release management
process. The most common symptom is that the development
team cannot reliably rebuild a particular release in
production or they spin their wheels for days trying to get
a release into QA. It is at these times that I realized that
many of the senior software developers had technical skills,
in many ways, far beyond my own. But the one thing that
these very capable professionals could not accomplish was
putting out repeatable builds. The net effect was disastrous
for the company. I have seen projects fail and careers
derailed, in part, because the team could not get a release
out the door in a reliable and repeatable fashion.
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7418/158/
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The Business of Software Development
by Joe Farah
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The software development business, once the domain of a few
advanced technology companies, is now pervasive. Why?
Because software is less costly and easier to modify than
hardware. At first glance this is obvious: building a
software telephone switch is a lot less costly than the
hardware equivalent. But looking more closely, software
products have far more features and are therefore more
complex than hardware products. Software is easier to
change, but this just adds to the level of complexity,
especially on the management side. Software allows us to
build products that are more complex.
Each software development project starts with a concept or
proposal, and a favourable business case, and ends with
product retirement. There's a lot of process in between:
Requirements, Project Management, Architecture Definition,
Design, Implementation, Build Management, Change Management,
Document Management, Configuration Management, Problem/Issue
Tracking, Test Case Management, Test Run Management,
Customer Tracking.
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7417/158/
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DevZone:
Change and Release Management DevZone
------------------------------------------------------------
Successful software development organizations have the
agility to manage change by harnessing the capabilities of
process-centric SCM solutions, to satisfy internal and
external compliance requirements. The Change and Release
Management Zone offers a community resource that promotes
learning, collaboration and the exchange of best practices
to help teams formulate forward thinking strategies and
achieve measurable results in their organization.
Visit the DevZone >>
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/blogsection/15/250/
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WEBCAST: Accelerating Software Delivery with Integrated
Change and Release Management
------------------------------------------------------------
In software development today, teams use a variety of tools
for change and release management. Version control, defect
tracking, project and build management tools used may be
helping produce quality software, however often these tools
do not work together. This can lead to poor communication
and coordination, as well as manual, disparate processes.
When software development teams are siloed without a
unifying process, the hand-off can be slow as well. Further
compounding the problem is the reality that many teams today
are working in distributed environments. As a result
software development happens more slowly, with greater risk
of errors, and project managers cannot guarantee that the
teams are working efficiently with a governed process. All
of these factors introduce greater risk to the software
development process.
This webcast will look at how IBM Rational Change and
Release Management tools provide an integrated, automated
solution that helps teams respond quicker to change in all
stages of software development. These tools help you to work
smarter, not harder for increased productivity, improved
software quality, improved visibility into the entire
software development lifecycle, and faster software deliver.
Register for this Webcast >>
http://www.cmcrossroads.net/go/gid=8&
;cid=655&mid=1087&id=842
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BOOK OF THE MONTH: CMMI Survival Guide: Just Enough Process
Improvement
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The CMMI® Survival Guide is an effective resource for
multiple readerships. If you are just now considering a
process improvement program, with the CMMI among your
options, the authors' discussion of relevant issues will
enhance your business case right from the start. If you have
already decided to implement the CMMI, the authors'
practical knowledge will help you make the most of your
efforts. Even if you are well into a CMMI implementation,
but are lost, stuck, or going around in circles, the
authors' valuable advice will help you regain your
direction.
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7420/158/
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CM Blogzone:
Read the latest from the CM Crossroads bloggers
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- Configure This! by Carson Lucky
Chapter 7.2: The Mission
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7407/230/
- Brad Appletons ACME Blog
Product-Line CM in CACM
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7416/230/
- SCM andDave by David Hegland
Generic Property Setting in StarTeam
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/7401/230/
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: A Study of Myers-Briggs
Types Relative to CM Professionals
by Mario Moreira
------------------------------------------------------------
What makes Configuration Management (CM) professionals so
unique? Is it the way we can view a complex task and break
it down into meaningful activities? Is it the way we can
bring some level of order to chaos? Is it that we not only
want to understand the details on how things work, but we
also like to understand the big picture? Is it our need to
improve our environment? Or is it the way we persevere at
difficult tasks in trying to bring together the pieces that
comprise our deliverables?
[Read More]
ht
tp://www.cmcrossroads.com/content/view/6904/158/
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ToolSpotlight
http://www.cmcro
ssroads.com/toolspot
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When you're searching for the right Application Lifecycle
Management or developer tool, start here and see what's in
the spotlight. The Tool Spotlight features monthly product
reviews each month including links to more information about
those tools.
This month we feature: AnthillPro3 from UrbanCode, Seapine
Surround SCM, Telelogic Synergy, QuickBuild, Perforce, and
Accurev.
Visit the Tool Spotlight for more information
http://www.cmcro
ssroads.com/toolspot
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Reserved
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The Configuration Management Journal is a monthly
publication of CMC Media Inc. If you would like to
sponsor this publication or any other CM Crossroads Event,
please contact us at http://www.cmcr
ossroads.com/contactus
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