Software Configuration Management (SCM):

When computer software is built, change happens. And because it happens, controlling it effectively is required.

Software configuration management (SCM) is a set of activities that are designed to control change by identifying the work products that are likely to change, establishing relationships among them, defining mechanisms for managing different versions of these work products, controlling changes that are imposed, and auditing and reporting on the changes that are made.

In simple terms, SCM is a methodology to control and manage a software development project.
The goals of SCM are generally:
• Configuration Identification- What codes are we working with?
• Configuration Control- Controlling the release of a product and its changes.
• Status Accounting- Recording and reporting the status of components.
• Review- Ensuring completeness and consistency among components.
• Build Management- Managing the process and tools used for builds.
• Process Management- Ensuring adherence to the organization's development process.
• Environment Management- Managing the software and hardware that host our system.
• Teamwork- Facilitate team interactions related to the process.
• Defect Tracking- making sure every defect has traceability back to the source
There are many SCM tools available to manage a software projects. Some of the SCM tools for AS/400 are Implementer, Turnover, Aldon, CVS, etc.