Implementing and Integraing Product Data Management and Software Configuration Management

Product data management is used in the development of hardware product data and processes, while its counterpart, software configuration management, is concerned with the evolution of software products. Despite the necessity of interoperation of the two fields, there is little cooperation or communication between them. Hoping to address this problem, Crnkovic (computer science and engineering, Mälardalen U., Sweden), Asklund (computer science, Lund U., Sweden), and Dahlqvist (business unit transmission and transportation, Ericsson AB) provide overviews of the two processes separately and in relation to each other. They then examine the possibilities of integrating the methodological tools. A number of case studies from large international companies are presented.