Version control

What is version control?

Version control aka revision control or source control is an aspect of software and documentation configuration management; it is the change management to documents, programs, large web sites and other information stored as computer files. It is most commonly used in software development, where a team of people may change the same files. Changes are usually identified by a number or letter code, termed the revision number, or revision level. Version control is a software to keep track of all the revisions and releases pertaining to a product.

For instance, an initial set of files is revision 1. When the first change is made, the resulting set is revision 1.1 or 2, and so on.

Each revision is associated with a timestamp and the name of the person making the change.

There are many configuration systems available in the market today. Listed below are some of the advantages of having a document CMS.

Advantages of having a documentation configuration management system

• Tracking of all revisions and releases of project’s files can be easily managed
• Archive of changes is well maintained
• Any level of previous changes can be retrieved
• Collabarative – ie allows to make concurrent changes to a file

Process

In general, process can be defined as a sequence of interdependent and/or dependent procedures, which at every stage, consume one or more resources (employee, time, money, etc.) to convert input into output. These output can be served as input to the next stage until the goals are achieved.

In simpler terms, process is a series of actions, changes or functions that bring about a known result or goal.

The process established in each company varies, depending on the requirements and available resources. But, in general the technical publications has a process set up, which must be adhered to by the team. The process overview diagram is shown below.