Rating: 
Summary: A books that combines the theory and practice of SCM
Review: A few years back, I was working in a very large project-it was the computerization of a securities clearing agency. The project had 3 phases, the development was done from many different locations around the world, the project team was more than 700 in number at any given point in time, and the number of new team members joining and leaving the team was high. A project manager's nightmare and typical scenario for disaster-nobody believed that the project could be completed in time. But in a period spanning 6 years, the project was completed and was implemented successfully. Each phase-one in the 2nd year, the second in the 4th year and the final in the 6th year-went live on the day it was supposed to go live. It was a huge achievement, something that does not happen very often in software development-especially in projects of this size, complexity, scope and magnitude. What made it happen? From the very beginning the project relied on scientific techniques and good software engineering practices. Everything was done in a systematic and scientific manner and nothing was left to chance or human error. At the back of all these efforts was a well designed and successfully implemented software configuration management (SCM) system. While there were other factors like excellent quality of the project team, good design and development standards and principles, exhaustive and thorough requirement analysis and design, use of latest technology and so on, the most important factor that was responsible for the success of the project was the SCM and how it was implemented in the project. The system was beautifully designed and implemented in the project with support from all modules in the project. The project team members were educated in the benefits and advantages of the SCM system so that everybody considered it as a must for success and not as a necessary evil. I was lucky enough to work from an early stage in that project, to be a part of the SCM system design team and also to lead the SCM implementation. I had earlier worked in software projects of all kinds and had seen and experienced the consequences of not having a system to track the changes and make the software development more orderly and systematic. Since I had some experience in SCM and since I believed in SCM, I was selected as part of the SCM system design team. We considered the existing tools and none of them met our requirements (the SCM tools at that time was not as advanced as today's tools and didn't have many of the features that are available now). So we built a SCM system for the project. Developing an SCM system for such a massive project was in itself a huge effort. I learned a lot of new things about SCM, SCM system design, tool selection, SCM implementation and so on. I also learned that each project is different, people will use an SCM system if they know the advantage and benefits of SCM, how to train the people in SCM, why it is better to tell the team members why they have to do certain things-SCM procedures-rather than just telling then how it should be done, why it is important to have a good SCM plan, how to conduct SCM audits and so on. Even though I had used SCM and had designed SCM systems earlier, the experience that gained from such a very large project was quite different. After the completion of the project, I have designed, implemented and managed SCM systems of all kinds for many other software projects. This book-A Guide to Software Configuration Management-is the result of my experiences, experimentations, research and studies in the field of software configuration management. It contains the along with the theory, the practical things that I learned during designing and implementing various SCM systems in many projects. The Y2K problem has taught us the catastrophic effects that can be caused due to uncontrolled and unmanaged software development. The organizations and governments world over has spent and is still spending billions in correcting the bugs and errors introduced by the Y2K problem. The impact of the Y2K problem could have been drastically reduced if the projects that created the legacy systems followed Software Configuration Management (SCM). Today, practicing SCM is not difficult. There are many tools that help you to do it-effortlessly. You only have to choose the right tool-the tool that is best suited for your project-and implement it. The book explains how to select the right tool, how to plan the implementation, how to implement the system, how to train the users and so on. The book gives practical tips on how to achieve dramatic productivity improvements using SCM and how to successfully complete projects on time within budget with the help of a good SCM system. For increasing the usefulness of the book I have listed the SCM resources that are available on the Internet. The SCM bibliography will be useful for people who want to learn more or to do research. I have also discussed the various SCM standards that are relevant for an SCM professional. I hope the readers will benefit greatly from the book and will successfully design, implement and use SCM systems in their projects and organizations.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best guides to SCM on the market.
Review: Alexis Leon's "A Guide to Software Configuration Management" is an excellent book on the SCM subject. His writing style if very clear and easy to read. Mr. Leon has taken what can be a very confusing subject and made it clear not only to the programmer types but also to anyone involved with system projects. The book in broken down into very logical and progressive chapters that fit together to give an entire overview of the SCM process. The chapters can also be read independently as a valuable reference tool. The end of the book includes appendices of SCM web sites, a glossary and descriptions of SCM tools available today. This book is a must for anyone working on a project.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best guides to SCM on the market.
Review: Alexis Leon's "A Guide to Software Configuration Management" is an excellent book on the SCM subject. His writing style if very clear and easy to read. Mr. Leon has taken what can be a very confusing subject and made it clear not only to the programmer types but also to anyone involved with system projects. The book in broken down into very logical and progressive chapters that fit together to give an entire overview of the SCM process. The chapters can also be read independently as a valuable reference tool. The end of the book includes appendices of SCM web sites, a glossary and descriptions of SCM tools available today. This book is a must for anyone working on a project.
Rating: 
Summary: Accessible style; good introduction
Review: Good introduction to the topic of software configuration management. The field attracts those who (there is no way to say this kindly) have rather dry writing styles, but this was more accessible than most. The book focused on preparing for a CM system, and provided adequate food for thought on some of the relevenat topics. However, details of implementation, and actual CM system use were neglected. Also would have been nice to include some appendices providing model CM plans and model suporting processes / procedures, but the book did provide a thorough list of resources. All-in-all, a quick, accomodating read. Good introduction to SCM.
Rating: 
Summary: Same old coverage
Review: I was sorely disappointed in this book. I went by other reader's recommendations and I'm at a loss as to why it's got a 5-star rating. I was, and still am, looking for a source that will get past the theory & history and describe how to complete the process: What do you do after you've baselined & have to produce a build?
Rating:
Summary: Same old coverage
Review: I was sorely disappointed in this book. I went by other reader's recommendations and I'm at a loss as to why it's got a 5-star rating. I was, and still am, looking for a source that will get past the theory & history and describe how to complete the process: What do you do after you've baselined & have to produce a build?
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Summary: New Edition of the book available...
Review: The new revised, enlarged and updated edition of this book --Software Configuration Management Handbook, Second Edition (ISBN: 1580538827)--is now available at Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, to-the-point primer on SCM
Review: There are more comprehensive books on SCM, such as Jessica Keyes' "Software Configuration Management" (ISBN 0849319765), but none that will get you as quickly up-to-speed on the basics and key issues as this book. Mr. Leon steps you through the what's, why's and how's of software configuration management in a clearly written manner that is refreshingly devoid of fluff or side trips into esoteric areas. He clearly explains the entire SCM cycle from identification to configuration Control to status accounting to audits and reviews. Each of these critical areas are explained in sufficient detail to allow you to thoroughly understand the scope and complexity of SCM without becoming overwhelmed. Another strength of this book is the chapter on configuration management plans, which will provide the new SCM practitioner with a solid starting point and template from which to work. The chapters on SCM organization, implementation and SCM in large projects are also solid and quick reads with enough information to get you started. Some of the material in this book is, unfortunately, out of date - the chapters on tools and Internet resources could use an update - or better, a supporting web site instead of inclusion in the book - but the chapter on standards is still applicable and is a good resource for further research. If you're an experienced SCM practitioner I recommend you get Jessica Keyes' book I cited above; however, if you are new to SCM and want a quick-start guide that will give you the basics this is the best book on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, to-the-point primer on SCM
Review: There are more comprehensive books on SCM, such as Jessica Keyes' "Software Configuration Management" (ISBN 0849319765), but none that will get you as quickly up-to-speed on the basics and key issues as this book. Mr. Leon steps you through the what's, why's and how's of software configuration management in a clearly written manner that is refreshingly devoid of fluff or side trips into esoteric areas. He clearly explains the entire SCM cycle from identification to configuration Control to status accounting to audits and reviews. Each of these critical areas are explained in sufficient detail to allow you to thoroughly understand the scope and complexity of SCM without becoming overwhelmed. Another strength of this book is the chapter on configuration management plans, which will provide the new SCM practitioner with a solid starting point and template from which to work. The chapters on SCM organization, implementation and SCM in large projects are also solid and quick reads with enough information to get you started. Some of the material in this book is, unfortunately, out of date - the chapters on tools and Internet resources could use an update - or better, a supporting web site instead of inclusion in the book - but the chapter on standards is still applicable and is a good resource for further research. If you're an experienced SCM practitioner I recommend you get Jessica Keyes' book I cited above; however, if you are new to SCM and want a quick-start guide that will give you the basics this is the best book on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book on SCM
Review: This book covers the theory and practice of SCM in an easy-to-read style. The sections of theory and SCM tools are very useful for professionals, managers as well as tool users. The exhaustive bibliography and the section on SCM plan and SCM implementation have helped me in implementing SCM in my company. This book is a must read for all software professionals who are practicing configuration management in their projects, project leaders and project managers who want to develop a good software configuration management system in the projects/organizations and managers who are in-charge of tool selection and system implementation.
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