software configuration management process defines a series tasks that have four primary objectives. (1) to identify all items that collectively define the software(2) changes to one or more of these items, (3) to facilitate the construction of different versions of an application, and(4) to ensure that soft ware quality is maintained as the configuration evolves over time.
A process that achieves need not be bureaucratic or ponderous but it must be characterized in a manner that enables a software team to develop answers to a set of complex questions:
How does a software team identify the discrete elements of a software configuration?
How does an organization manage the many existing versions of a program(and its documentation) in a manner that will enable change to be accommodated efficiently?