ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 indicated that a common cause of software project failures is poor configuration management procedures. Thus, one cannot downplay the importance of a configuration management system because it is the foundation of a quality-oriented software engineering effort. Without a sound configuration management system, management cannot reliably plan and monitor development efforts. Likewise, without a sound configuration management system, developers cannot reliably produce software. To support both software managers and engineers, a configuration management system should capture all information relevant to a development project. This chapter identifies how to do this in a reliable manner.
