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On Mon, 29 Oct 2001 07:31:01 -0800 (PST), R D <jaguarjamus -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
>... We have a problem at my company of rogue programmers constantly making code changes without telling anyone. Our new manager wants to somehow get a handle on this. I'm wondering if anyone has used specific software
>programs that track code changes-
RD:
The genre of software your manager needs to investigate is called "Source Code Control". CVS, ClearCase, PVCS, SourceSafe, etc. are all source code control programs.
Usually, it's the engineers who need to investigate these various tools. If the developers do not buy into the decision and fail to use this software regularly and as they should, they can totally subvert the usefulness of the software.
And, while they are thinking about source code control, they should also investigate bug-tracking software, which usually works hand-in-hand with source code control.
On the other hand, if they don't go the source code control route in the near future, it bodes poorly for the success of the company you work for.
By the way, if your manager is not also the manager of said developers, I predict political problems if your manager raises this issue by mentioning particular product names. Instead, I'd suggest your manager raise the issue of identifying a company-wide source code control system at a meeting of department heads, or privately with the manager of the engineering team. Let the engineers choose.
Trust me, the docs group does not want to take the lead on this one, although it's great that your manager has identified this problem and is attempting to take steps to resolve it.
--Emily
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~ Emily Berk ~
On the web at www.armadillosoft.com *** Armadillo Associates, Inc. ~
~ Project management, developer relations and ~
extremely-technical technical documentation that developers find useful.~
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