The Ten Minute Pitch

One - Do You Need SCM?

If you develop software, the answer is yes. All software development requires software configuration management (SCM) tools to manage the changes you make developing your software. Without SCM, releases go out the door with uncertain contents. Bug fixes get lost. And engineers see their development efforts wasted in a blundered process.

But how much SCM do you need? Your company may already have some sort of SCM in place. Most companies start out using free version control tools like RCS, SCCS, or CVS, perhaps with some local customization. Seat-of-the-pants solutions like this are adequate, at best, but don't meet the demands of a full software development cycle. This very realization may have led you to this page.

Your reluctance to bring in a commercial SCM system is justifiable. Will your overall gains in control be offset by a finer-grained loss in productivity? Will your software engineers find a cumbersome tool between themselves and their work? As a manager, you are aware that SCM is a necessity, while as an engineer you fear that SCM is a burden.

Perforce, the Fast Software Configuration Management System, was built to provide maximum control with minimum interference. Perforce gets its high performance from an intelligent implementation on top of a strong model, rather than thousands of features. A precision tool, Perforce was made for organizations filled with energetic, productive software engineers -- with the occasional "hero" thrown in -- working to make the breakthrough product and to define the leading edge.

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