SCM interface to product teams

Product teams are a new concept within NMS. Better than through a definition, it is characterized with a stereotype: Traffica.

A team is responsible for a given product from beginning to end. As a consequence, it is free to specify its own practices. Note that the delivery of product is kept centralized.
This changes the framework in which SCM is supported on a site basis: it becomes then a service, of which product teams are customers.

In this context, the NMS SCM departments decided to make a survey of the intentions and expectations of the various product teams. Below is a checklist of questions to new product teams concerning SCM:

• What kind of needs you have concerning SCM?
• Do you know how to handle SCM tasks?
• What kinds of problems you have with SCM tasks or you expect to have?
• What kind of software you are doing and in which environment?
• Are you using sub-contractors?
  If yes, are they working in Nokia's premises or their own?

In our department, the situation is slightly a-typical. We have only one product team. On the other hand, we have some experience of providing SCM services to projects, which are responsible for their builds. Our projects are not yet as autonomous as Traffica-like product teams: in addition to deliveries, we handle in a centralized manner, yet out of the control of our SCM, system and integration testing, product management and quality insurance.

For this reason, we decided to direct this survey to all these parties.