EPF Composer lets you manage method configurations which specify working sets of content and processes for a specific project, such as a specific variant of the OpenUP framework that you want to publish and deploy for a given software project or as a foundation for a development organization.
Content and processes are organized into method plug-ins which are organized into method packages. A method configuration is simply a selection of the method plug-ins and packages.
Method configurations are created with the Configuration editor. You can easily create a new configuration by copying an existing one such as OpenUP and modifying it to fit your specific project. You can add or remove whole method plug-ins as well as make selections with each plug-in by checking or un-checking packages.
You can use the resulting configuration as your working set for your project. The actual content of the configuration such as the included method content and process elements are always accessible in the Configuration view.
Method configurations are the basis for publishing method content and processes. A published configuration is an HTML-based web site that presents all the method content and processes of the method configuration in a navigable and searchable way. It uses the relationships established during method content and process authoring to generate hyperlinks between elements as well as provides tree browsers based on the configuration view and user-defined categorizations of the content.
It is easy to configure a process for a particular type or size of project and to publish the guidance to a Web site. A Method Configuration is a selection of Content Packages across different Method Plug-ins containing the method and process content that will be included in the published Web site. At publishing time, the configuration is combined with different Method Views which define the Web site's navigation structures and content organization.
The ultimate output of EPF Composer is a published Web site with method guidance and processes that can be used by a project team. The information contained in the Web site provides a project team with a consistent method for the entire team to follow and a complete description of the end-to-end work lifecycle.
The figure below shows an example of a published web site based on the OpenUP method configuration.
Publishing can be as simple as selecting an existing configuration and letting the Publication Wizard will do the rest for you. Only content that is part of the method configuration you selected will be published. The resulting web site will not include references to method content elements outside of the configuration. Publishing will only include the content you really need.
You can always preview a published configuration using the Browsing perspective. The Browsing Perspective renders the Method Configuration content in HTML format within the tool, providing a navigable representation of the method or process content associated with the configuration.