Application Staging

Objectives

This is a unique task because it is a versioning control process common to all remaining Positioning tasks. Even validation, which is itself a common task, hinges on this application staging. Specific objectives include the following:

· Identify all system components to be included in the particular positioning task

· Establish staging libraries for application components

· Reconcile staging libraries with ongoing software change activity

· Gain concurrence from application team on staging approach

Entrance Criteria

The entrance criteria for the application staging task is listed below.

· Completion of Inventory/Analysis environmental analysis task - key to component categorization

· Identification of application components of interest

· Identification of Positioning tasks to be completed

· Security access to production versions of application components

· Identification of naming standards for permanent data sets and availability of additional on-line storage space for data sets to be created

Roles/Skills

The personnel and skill requirements necessary to meet the application staging task objectives are identified below.

· Project Manager

- Ability and authority to create work plans, assign resources and manage work flow of redevelopment project

· Current Systems Expert

- Knowledge of existing program/system boundaries

· Systems Programmer

- Security access to physical system objects

Input Requirements

The system components and related inputs required to initiate and complete the application staging task are listed below.

· Application components of interest as driven by the task or tasks to be performed on the staged components

· Work plan (typically the interim work plan) determining which application components are to be staged

· Environmental (or substitute) analysis inventory of components for systems to be staged

Tool/Technology Support

Technologies supporting the application staging task include change integration, configuration management facility, project management, spreadsheet, word processing and cataloging tools. These tools are used to represent information as required by this task.

Change integration tool

The main goal of the change integration tool in this task is to detect, consolidate and reconcile multiple versions of applications. The change integration tool should provide robust impact analysis capabilities for identifying versions that contain differences, name patterns for merging different versions of members with different names and an intelligent merge editor that focuses on maintaining an audit trail of all modifications and conflicts.

Change integration tools associated with Year 2000 projects are often used to help companies upgrade their purchased applications by reconciling new vendor releases (i.e. Year 2000-compliant) with local modifications and to help companies combine Year 2000 updates with ongoing application enhancements/maintenance changes.

Configuration management facility

The main goal of the configuration management facility tool in this task is to provide versioning capabilities necessary to store multiple versions of an element. This allows for creation of working version libraries. Other requirements include controlling access to libraries by defining user access rights and standard change control procedures and providing a wide variety of ways to view change information (current, historical or changes only).

Project management tool

Step one requires work plan finalization using a project management tool. This requires the ability to define step based estimates, roles, deliverables and dependencies for a staging project.

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet tools offer a convenient format for recording much of the information gathered throughout this stage. Referenced Comsys-TIM Forms have been pre-loaded into certain spreadsheet tools (see the step level tool guidelines for specific tools) to facilitate data entry and analysis. While highly desirable, spreadsheets are not essential to this task.

Word processor

This is required to record positioning narrative and, in the absence of a spreadsheet tool, other positioning results.

Cataloging tool

This is required to establish several libraries with which to manage the staging of the source. Any library management tool should be able to accomplish this.

Task Steps

The application staging task is comprised of the following task steps:

	Identify & Categorize Components of Interest
	Create Working Version Libraries
	Document Versions and Library Protocol
	Synchronize Staged Source with Production