I'll keep this one short. If you have a change that has been made to a file (or even to a change package of files) somewhere in the past and you would like to eliminate that change from the past, you can do so with a judicious use of almost any merge tool.

Whereas Project Management (PM) is a widely accepted, highly visible discipline, Configuration Management (CM) is too often seen as a low-level, technical discipline - a back-room activity that, while essential, does not command management attention.

Hey CM’ers!  Welcome to another fun filled, fact free edition of From the Trenches, the column where we get down in the mud to talk about the basics of Configuration Management and try to avoid any incoming shells.  This month we will talk about Software Configuration Management Plans (SCMP’s).  What are they?  Why do you need one?  How do you write one?  How can you delegate this task to someone else, anyone else?

There are times when Software Configuration Management (SCM) gets implemented and the results may not be as positive as one would hope. There can certainly be many reasons for this, but some times, it comes down to whether or not due diligence was performed during SCM planning,an important criteria for successfully implementing SCM. Other success criteria include: sponsorship (management commitment to the SCM effort); funding (money to purchase appropriate SCM tools and infrastructure); and personnel (persons trained, skilled, and experienced in the areas of SCM tools and process). However, effective SCM Planning should cover sponsor, funding, and personnel tasks if structured appropriately.