Version Control


As much as Scope Change Control is important to running a project smoothly, so too is having version control of the documents used on the project. Recently I was in a meeting with eight people, and we were all looking at a WBS done in MS Project. The problem was that the manager running the meeting failed to ask for a specific version to be used at the meeting, so three versions of the same document were being used at the same time.

It didn't take very long to ascertain that there were different versions, and the meeting leader made a good decision when she had all the documents collected, copied the latest version, and distributed it to everybody at the meeting. All of us were on the same page (literally), and the meeting ran well.

This incident highlights several issues. First, several versions of documents will be created during the course of a project. It is necessary to change the version number every time the content changes. So it is possible to have several versions of a single document going on at the same time, particularly when the changes made to the document are coming fast and furious. Second, when a meeting is being held, the chair of the meeting (in many cases the project manager) should specify the version number to be discussed at the meeting.

When this type of control is first implemented in an organization, many people fail to understand the importance of version control. Much like with Scope Change Control, small incremental changes are left out at the beginning of an organization's attempts at project management techniques and processes. But just like Scope Change Control, version change control will be a great help in the Controlling Phase of the project. This is particularly true when you are using documents in meetings. You will be getting the latest information to various people on the project team, which they can discuss with confidence.

After a document is finalized in the project plan, it should be locked down under version control. That is, the baseline form of the document is version 1.0. Any changes, repeat, any changes made in the document from that time on warrant a version change. This may seem like much ado about nothing, but as with scope creep, you will have "version creep" if you do not note all changes. It is very hard to inculcate this technique into an organization when its people are accustomed to version creep.

If you go to one meeting where people are using different versions, that is one problem. It is just as much of a problem if there is only one version but people on the project team have been making additions and deletions to a document without changing the version number. You only have to go to one meeting that gets muddled down with people asking "What line did you say that was?" to realize that having the same document in front of everyone is a key to holding a successful meeting. It is even more difficult if you are having a phone meeting. Make sure that you keep documents under control.

Q.

The baseline version number of a document is:

 

A.

2.0

 

B.

2.1

 

C.

1.0

 

D.

1.a


The answer is C, 1.0. Every version change starts with this baseline number.

In order to implement version control, you start at your baseline with the number 1.0. After this, if the document retains most of its original material, you simply increase the number after the decimal point for each version. The next document is 1.1; after that, the next is 1.2. If the document has entirely new content, the version number begins at 2.0 and then goes up when numbers are added after the decimal point. So a new version of a document, which might be brought about because of an accepted scope change, will be 2.0.

The point of version control is that a good project manager will be able to control documentation in a project. Unfortunately I have been around acting project managers who let documentation change without noting the changes. It takes a lot of unnecessary patience to manage a project when people are looking at different versions of the project. The project manager must take charge of the project, and usually people who learn about how to use version control are willing to use it. Get them use to it at the beginning of a project, and the project will go much more smoothly.

Q.

Version control numbers should change when:

 

A.

Major changes are made

 

B.

Scope change is involved

 

C.

Any change occurs

 

D.

The sponsor says so


The answer is C. Although it is true that a scope change will cause version changes in documents, a professional project manager keeps control of the versions and notes any change that occurs.

Q.

Version control helps make meetings easier because:

 

A.

People like it

 

B.

It keeps everyone on the same page

 

C.

It is easy

 

D.

It is a predecessor to a SOW


The answer is B. If everyone is going to be involved in a discussion of a certain document, it is necessary for control to have the same version of the document in front of the entire meeting.



Passing the PMP Exam. How to Take It and Pass It
Passing the PMP Exam: How to Take It and Pass It: How to Take It and Pass It
ISBN: 0131860070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 167
Authors: Rudd McGary

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