Software Configuration and Project Management
What to know
Configuration management (SCM) identifies, controls, and audits work products: version control, baselines, change control, and configuration audits. A baseline is an approved, immutable reference point; changes after it go through change control. CI/CD automates build, test, and release. Know branching strategies (trunk-based, feature branches) and merge conflicts.
Project management covers scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality, and communication. Understand WBS decomposition, critical path (longest path through dependencies; determines minimum duration), Gantt charts, PERT/estimation, earned value (PV, EV, AC; CPI = EV/AC; SPI = EV/PV), and risk management (identify, analyze, plan response, monitor). Agile adds iterations, backlog grooming, velocity, and burndown charts.
Traps in questions
- Critical path: it is the longest path, not the shortest; float/slack on it is zero.
- CPI/SPI interpretation: CPI < 1 means over budget; SPI < 1 means behind schedule. Questions invert them.
- Baseline vs branch: a baseline is an approved snapshot, not a parallel development line.
- Risk vs issue: a risk is uncertain and future; an issue is already occurring.
- Velocity misuse: velocity is a planning aid, not a productivity metric for comparing teams.
Rule of thumb
Schedule is driven by the critical path; adding resources to a late critical-path activity can delay it (Brooks's law / mythical man-month). Compress by fast-tracking or crashing only where dependencies allow.
Worked example
Project: EV = 80, PV = 100, AC = 90. CPI = 80/90 ≈ 0.89 (over budget); SPI = 80/100 = 0.80 (behind schedule). Both under 1 means the project is spending more and delivering less than planned.