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  • Obvious statements about software change management: #4 How to make audit costs less painful?

    Auditors' work implies a lot of responsibility so they need to be careful and thorough. Auditors, especially SOX auditors, can charge your company anywhere from $150 to $500 per hour; they are expensive in Euros too.

    So, the goal is to make the auditor happy with all information he needs and get him/her out of your office as quickly as possible.

    But how can you do it?

    Time spent to undertake an audit can be significantly reduced if the information required by auditors is available to them quickly and efficiently. Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is a repeatable process. Confirmation of the validity of this process confirms validity of all applications which utilize it and therefore substantially reduces the time required for an audit.

    Furthermore, by using TD/OMS you can prove that the validated process is enforced. Auditors can ask ad-hoc questions about how a program change came to be and the self-documenting capability of TD/OMS will bring the auditor to all relevant information with just a few clicks of the mouse.

    The flexibility of ALM reporting needs to allow a drill down and the generation of specific ad-hoc reporting.

    It helps to be prepared for the question:  “Can you show me?”

    Demo

    Would you like to see how owning an ALM system backed by a software configuration database that can track all historical changes can help you in dealing with audits? 

     

    Contact us now so we can show you the benefits of an ALM plus the reporting functionality for your IBM i development!

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  • Obvious statements about software change management: #5 Everything is related. A small change can have big effects

    There is a theory which is called the butterfly effect. It states that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Beijing can cause a hurricane in the US. This is also called the chaos theory and it describes the relation of cause and effect in complex systems like the weather.

    Headache

    Now, I get a headache thinking about this so what I do is I try to break it down to a level that is no longer complex. To understand this problem, I imagine the engine of a car. This is also a very complex system (at least it is complex to me). Now I try to imagine what would happen if I randomly punch holes in some engine pipes, or if I remove several fasteners.

    Engine damage

    Will something happen?  Probably... But what exactly will happen depends on the relationships between the pipes or the fasteners with other parts of the engine. If the punctured pipe is in the supply chain of my windshield wiper fluid, then I will probably survive.  If the loosened fastener is attached to an important part of the engine, then that gentle twist of my fingers can result in serious engine damage.

    Apples to oranges

    Comparing complex dynamic systems like the weather to an engine is like comparing apples to oranges, but I think it paints a good picture.

    The key to this issue is the necessity to know how the parts of your engine are related… just as it is necessary to know about how the pieces of your software application are related. If you change one component, you need to know which other components are impacted by this change. 

    Impact Analysis

    Given a solid software configuration database we can undertake a proper impact analysis like the one shown in the diagrams. With such concise information we can ensure proper planning and execution of the change no matter how complicated the component relationships are. 

    Graphical impact analysis in TD/OMS

    Demo

    Contact us now if you'd like to learn more about the pleasures of owning an SCCM system backed by a software configuration database and an Impact Analysis module. 

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