Software Configuration Management (SCM), properly managed with Endevor, is essential in today’s complex application environments. A well-designed, properly implemented SCM process is your primary means of ensuring software quality and avoiding production program failures. To create such a process requires substantial knowledge of SCM practices and Endevor as well as experience in successfully adapting them to meet the unique needs of different organizations and computing environments. We can assist you with each phase of building an effective SCM process using Endevor.

Needs Assessment

An SCM needs assessment seeks to answer two important questions. The first is what are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing SCM process. The second is what improvements are needed to elevate this process to the desired Capability Maturity Model (CMM) software management level. The completion of this assessment is critical because the answers to these questions will guide all subsequent actions. We can provide you with these answers as well as chart a basic course of action to help you reach your goals. The depth and breadth of our assessment can be scaled to meet your specific objectives and budget. At the conclusion of our assessment, you will have a clear picture of what needs to be done.

Project Planning

All successful SCM implementations begin with detailed project planning. Our planning process takes a basic course of action and expands it into an extensive series of well-defined individual tasks. These plans take into consideration current and expected staffing levels, staff skill sets, and the organization's strategy for managing the environment both during and after implementation of the new SCM process and Endevor implementation. They will include provisions for addressing business and technology-related challenges unique to your organization. The plans will show step-by-step how we will achieve your specific goals and objectives. They will also be used to monitor and measure progress throughout the remainder of the project.

Requirements Analysis & Design

The initial focus of requirements analysis and design is understanding the exact software configuration requirements of a specific business unit and its associated applications. These requirements cover a wide variety of issues such as software promotion approval, concurrent development, naming conventions, change back-outs, security, and production control standards. As part of this phase, we will conduct a comprehensive, in-depth inventory and examination of all individual software components including macros, maps, compile options, programs, and libraries. Once all your requirements are made clear, we can design the right SCM process and Endevor configuration for managing these software components. The process will encompass both administrative and automated procedures. We will determine the most effective means of applying and customizing Endevor to meet your needs.

Implementation

After careful planning (Plan the Work) comes execution (Work the Plan). Having proactively identified and resolved potential problems and impediments in the previous phases, you can expect the rollout itself to run smoothly and efficiently. Our familiarity and expertise with SCM processes and Endevor enable us to complete the work in a fraction of the typical implementation time. Our services include developing, coding, testing, and implementing Endevor processors; installing, configuring, and customizing the Endevor product itself and its security interface; and loading existing application software into Endevor managed libraries. We also provide extensive training to ensure your Endevor administrators and users are fully capable of taking the reins after project completion.

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