6 Part 6: V-Modell Reference Activities

6.3 Activities

6.3.4 Configuration and Change Management

6.3.4.6 Managing Product Configuration

Purpose

»Product Configurations are used for the identification of products which "belong together" with regard to contents and which are in a specific version and product state. The product dependencies described in the V-Modell provide a certain clue for the establishment of product configurations. A product configuration is generated at least at every decision gate. Methodical notes for handling product configurations may be found in the subactivity »Initializing and Updating Configuration.

In addition, the task of configuration management will be to prepare products for delivery in accordance with the contractual conditions. The so-called release management, which is described in the subactivity »Document Delivery Data, is intended to distribute and coordinate all deliveries in a controlled manner.

6.3.4.6.1 Initializing and Updating Configuration

The »Product Configuration shall be initialized in the »Product Library in accordance with the conventions defined in the »Project Manual, using identifiers such as name, »Product State or version. For products that belong together, unambiguous relationships - such as referencing or establishment of hierarchies - shall be established by way of the product dependencies described in the V-Modell (for example: »Segments include several elements). If a product is part of a configuration, at least all product versions with product dependencies shall be integrated into this configuration.

A product configuration is generated at least at every decision gate. It will include at least the products to be submitted at the respective decision gate. This documents the project progress and ensures a repeatable quality assurance. The project-specific rules according to which the product configuration has to be updated shall be defined in the »Project Manual , such as version update, update of the product states and name conventions.

The product configurations shall ensure that a quantity of products which belong together can be configured at any time. For this purpose, procedures that automate the required configuration steps can be developed. All relationships and correlations that exist between the individual products shall be evident from the product configurations. Also the possibility or necessity of different configuration variants, such as country-specific variants, shall be taken into account.

6.3.4.6.2 Document Delivery Data

Within the scope of the documentation of delivery information, product configurations shall be prepared and documented in a way that complies with the agreed conditions for delivery and the specifications in the Project Manual. This is also called release management.

If for example software is delivered, it shall be described how a data carrier shall be prepared. In accordance with this delivery procedure for the preparation of a data carrier, an installation procedure shall also be prepared if required. At this point, configuration management may act as the central delivery authority.

Moreover, this subactivity will be used for controlled distribution and coordination, thus establishing the prerequisites for a controlled overview over all deliveries.

Typical questions include:

• What configuration was delivered?
• When and to whom was the delivery made?
• What storage or transmission medium was used?
• For what purpose was the delivery made?