Foreword by Alistair Cockburn

Software configuration management and automated regression testing tools are the two development tools most critical to the success of the agile project. Over the last ten years , the version control and configuration management system was consistently cited to me as the top priority tool to install, both for agility-focused and plan-driven projects. No other tool even came close. (The editor and compiler are so integral that they don't get named.) Teams used to working with a version control and configuration management system refuse to operate without one.

Many teams find that once they have a satisfactory configuration management system in place they can do something more important to their project than merely coordinate their check-ins: They start experimenting with shorter and shorter periods between builds. (This is when the automated regression testing tool becomes important.)

Some teams run fully automated builds every half hour; these also run the suite of unit and system regression tests, post the results on a Web page, and email the owners of any failed code their failing test results! People on these teams report an increase in speed, agility, quality, and personal comfort , knowing they'll learn of unexpected errors within a half- hour of checking in their code.

One company is even experimenting with using such a continuous-build system to synchronize the work between India and the United States. They report that it is helping the two teams stay synchronized with each other across nine time zones.

It is therefore astonishing to see how many teams try to work without a configuration management system. Moreover, it can be frustratingly difficult to find information on the topic.

Anne Mette Hass manages in this book to capture both the heart of the subject and the variations needed in widely varying circumstancesa rare accomplishment. She knows , as you do, that some organizations run with heavy bureaucracy, some with little bureaucracy, some with little formality, some with great formalityand all need configuration management to smooth their collective work. She presents the topic from several angles: the work products, the job roles involved, the organizational issues, the tools, and various levels of formality and bureaucracy. In addition to her insights, Steve Berczuk and Brad Appleton describe, in their appendix, how the terms and practices can be used on the lightest of agile projects.

I have always found this subject daunting, and was pleased to find this text well presented and easy to digest. I could never have written this book; I'm glad that Anne Mette Hass has done it for us.

Alistair  Cockburn
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah