change request Questions

Should we associate defect reports and change requests to files on checkin or checkout?
By Mark Owens - July 25, 20121 Answer

We are doing some process implementation and improvement. There is some debate about whether to associate a checkout of a source file in our repository to Defect Reports (DR) and Change Requests (CR) on checkout of source code, or on the checkin.

I've only worked with association at checkout, so we get visibility into ongoing work, but I wanted to get a feel for what others say about one way or the other.

So to clarify, what are the pros and cons of the following two scenarios:

Option A
1. Dev is assigned a DR
2. Dev checks out code, associating it with the DR
3. Dev works on code
4. Dev checks code back in and actions DR forward

Option B
1. Dev is assigned a DR
2. Dev checks out code
3. Dev works on code
4. Dev checks code back in, associates it with the DR and actions it forward

Thanks!

Mark

Are Change Requests necessary for defects?
By LaShawn Dorsey - July 20, 20121 Answer

There are those on my team that think a CR is only needed for requirement changes/customer requests and not for defects.

Can someone please help me to explain why this is not true.

I feel that outside of normal help desk support, all changes, to include correction of functional defects should pass through a CR. This way we properly document that a change was necessary to make the system function properly. This also allows us to track items that were not properly addressed during initial development.

Should we always require multiple Change Requests (CR) for more than one change?
By LaShawn Dorsey - October 31, 20112 Answers

I just joined an organization where they didn't use CRs to track changes to baselined requirements. One of the developers asked if they could use 1 CR for multiple changes.

Originally, I told him 1 CR could contain multiple changes as long as they relate to one configuration item. I'm starting to rethink and may have them create 1 CR for each change.

Is the first option OK or should I make them create multiple CRs per modification?

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