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CM Journal Articles Is There a Source Control "Silver Bullet"?
CM Journal Articles Is There a Source Control "Silver Bullet"?
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In a recent discussion thread someone asked us, "Are there any CM tools, specifically source control, that you can obtain and be able to almost completely forget about and not have to worry about training, process implementation or hear about 'problems?'" In this instance the poster mentioned that the development team's lead architect stated that he firmly believed that, "Source control should be a no-brainer. It should remain silent and not have problems or issues, it should be like a "dial-tone," always there and never troublesome." Ah, is there a "Silver Bullet." This question comes up all the time. The simple answer to this question is, "no". Source control, like most of CM and DM, is an art as well as a science. Only CM talent can overcome a bad tool, or a poor implementation of a basic piece of CM, like source control. Source control is not an automatic outcome. It is a reasoned approach and an implementation inside an automated tool process. The developers may be "experienced in development" but, anyone who is a developer and who believes that CM should be "dial-tone" simple is not experienced ENOUGH in all things related to programming, an important element of which is "CM". That is why they hired a CM guy in the first place; to run their CM program. The manager who is asking the question may be similarly ignorant, and I hope he's not your boss as that would be a major obstacle to get past, not to mention a challenge to your patience. If the guy who is asking you this stuff is your boss, then I think I'd leave them with this little problem and head on out to greener pastures. This subject comes up so often I would love to hear your comments so share your experiences with the rest of us by replying to this post. Cynthia C. Hauer is the Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Data Management, in Huntsville, Alabama. She has 21 years of experience in Information Technology which includes extensive involvement in CM, DM, data base design, user interface, data storage, CALS and all facets of system design and implementation. Ms Hauer holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and is certified as CMIIC and CCDM, certifications in both ICM/CMII and NDIA, respectively. You can reach Ms. Hauer by email at chauer@cmcrossroads.com
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 05 August 2007 15:05 |
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