Software Configuration Management (Neil Steeman)

Software configuration management as described herein deals with managing the requirements for the product as opposed to managing the way the product is built. There are many tools on the market which can be used to manage the way the software product is built. This plan will emphasize what has to be done in order to assure that the product, as delivered, looks and performs in accordance with the customer's requirements for that product.

The first step, therefor, in software CM as described herein, is to agree with the customer on the requirements for the product. In order to reach agreement, you need to prepare a document that contains the requirements as you see them and then obtain approval from the customer that they are the correct requirements. You will then need to maintain that document while you are building the software product and change it whenever you and the customer agree on a change to the requirements.

Neil Steeman: How to Employ CM Lite for Software, 2002