26.6 Customizing Configuration Management Tools

A configuration management system consists of one or more tools and a set of process descriptions. The trick is to get the tool(s) to work together as smoothly as possible and to get it or them to support the described processes. In principle, there are three grades of customization (with many variations):

• The tools are tailored completely to the processesthey are developed as bespoke software for or by the company.

• The tools are customized to suit each other and the processes as well as possible.

• The tools are used as isthe processes are changed to the tools.

One Tool or More

It's an advantage to have as few tools as possible, because getting tools to work together smoothly always presents difficulties. Therefore, a tool should cover as many requirements as possible.

Changing Tools or Processes

Tools should support the processes the company has defined. But if they don't, it's easier to change the processes rather than the tool. This provides the best processes in the long term and may help keep maintenance costs down for the tool.

From Class to Class

It may be tempting to buy a tool of a certain class and then try to expand it to a higher class by the means of "homemade" scripts, as described earlier. In some cases this may be successful, but in most cases you run the risk of getting an unstable tool that doesn't quite fulfill the requirements anyway. It may also be difficult to maintain such tools, especially if the supplier often releases new versionswhich will also have to be customized. This kind of customization should be considered carefully and preferably avoided.