Software Configuration Management Implementation Roadmap

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Summary: A guide to an effective SCM Process
Review: Finding the path to the right process for your project and organization is tricky, and this book provides a map of the terrain that can guide you to the implementation appropriate for your project. This book will guide you through the steps that you need to take if you need to implement an SCM process for your organization at an organization, application, or project level. It includes customizable templates and examples to more quickly get you to your SCM goals.

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Summary: very helpful! must have!
Review: Mr. Moreira is an accomplished writer. He writes with the ease of one who knows his material. His examples are eloquent and easy to understand. The thoroughness with which he approaches his topic reflects his mastery of the subject matter. If someone wants to implement software configuration management in their development process, this is the book to have!

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Summary: Validates complexity of SCM projects
Review: Mr. Moreira's book is great for affirming the complexity of SCM projects. He provides lots of lists and templates for managing SCM projects. However, the readability suffers due to the format. The extensive use of grey shading on text is hard to read. It has the look and feel of a textbook. Still I found some great scoring techniques for evaluating SCM tools and other practical tips.

Rating:
Summary: Validates complexity of SCM projects
Review: Mr. Moreira's book is great for affirming the complexity of SCM projects. He provides lots of lists and templates for managing SCM projects. However, the readability suffers due to the format. The extensive use of grey shading on text is hard to read. It has the look and feel of a textbook. Still I found some great scoring techniques for evaluating SCM tools and other practical tips.

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Summary: Fills an important niche for SCM discipline
Review: There are a lot of excellent books on SCM which explain the discipline and provide detailed operational advice. This one stands apart because it focuses on implementing SCM as a set of processes and procedures, and shows how to integrate it into your development environment.

Mr. Moreira leads you through every milestone of implementation from realistically assessing your needs and how to fit SCM into your development processes, to establishing an SCM infrastructure, to defining SCM tasks tailored to projects.

One of the best features of this book - and why it is invaluable to anyone who is seriously pursuing a viable SCM function - is the wealth of plans, templates, and process documents contained in the appendices and on the accompanying CD ROM. These will save a substantial amount of time to accomplish an implementation.

Other aspects of this book that I like include the chapters on SCM in general, the process- and task-oriented approaches, and the in-depth knowledge the author exhibits throughout.

If you are buying this book to guide you through an SCM implementation, or are merely exploring the level of complexity such an endeavor entails, I also recommend "Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration" (ISBN 0201741172) because the patterns provided in that book add a layer of depth and refinement to an SCM implementation and ongoing SCM management.