CM Generations and a Vision for the Future

Built-in disaster recovery will augment and help to simplify IT department plans. Improved scaleability of client to server ratios will reduce server complexity and costs. Integration of Resource Management and Customer Tracking capabilities will help reduce overall tool costs, and will take the tool integration burden off the back of the customer.

What else can we expect to see in the 4G timeframe? Some of the technology directions are wildcards. But we have enough to put generic road map together. The most likely difficulty here is separating 3G and 4G criteria.

4G CM Capabilities

CM capabilities will support more natural ways of working. The end-user will no longer need to be trained on how to do something. Training will consist more of what you can do - and the tool will help you do it. Expect to see most of these capabilities in a 4G CM tool:

• Drag and Drop Bulk Loading of Source and of Multiple Baseline Revisions
• Configuration Management Full Automated, Giving way to Product and Change Management
• Active Workspace Management - the tool keeps you informed
• Promotable directory structure changes - no more directory checkouts or strict ordering of structure changes
• Integration of Views with the OS File System - like ClearCase has been doing for years
• Dynamic Variants - a subset of changes will be managed as persistent changes on top of your view to support your variant
• Product/Sub-product management - look at/work on a product from a product or sub-product perspective
• Context view-based dependency analysis with architectural layering and partitioning support
• Automatic Change Generation based on changes made in a developer's workspace
• File revisioning augmented with full data revisioning

4G CM Administration

Administration will support flexibility within the IT environment. Fewer server issues, fewer technology migration issues, fewer data backup and recovery issues. Look for:

• Small Footprint Solutions - without sacrificing functionality
• Zero Administration Operation
• Scaleability to thousands of users per server, allowing a single server per site
• Fully Synchronous MultiSite - the same view from any site at any time
• Full interoperability between 32- and 64-bit platforms
• Automated checkpoint backups - ensuring backups happen even if when they don't

4G CM Process

The CM process capabilities will be extended to support a dynamically configurable unified process. When additional data or sister application support is required, the integrated RAD capability will allow the application set to be expanded easily, with seamless integration, using a common repository and a common user interface.

Quality support will be pre-packaged in the CM tool - change and revision control of individual requirements, a clear, key set of metrics, and project forecasting capabilities. These will give management a clear idea of what's happening and how likely they are to meet their goals in the specified time frames. Planning activities and tasks will move from the realm of tracking data into the realm of deliverables. A task will grow from a line item and a description of deliverables/objectives, into the (unrefined) user documentation and test plans - automatically tied directly to the task. Here are some of the key process advances we'll see in 4G CM:

• Advanced workflow capabilities - integrating state-based and task-based workflow
• Dynamically Configurable Unified Process - incremental changes will be automatically reflected in on-line guidance
• Integrated RAD Capability to extend the set of integrated applications
• Change and revision control of requirement items
• Project and Quality Metrics and Forecasting Capabilities
• Evolution of Planning Activity/Tasks into Deliverables
• Resource management
• End-to-end impact analysis
• Test Run Management and Metrics
• Data Management including Data Security
• Customer Tracking Capabilities

4G Reliability and Availability

This will be one of the hottest areas of 4G