🗒️[Glossary] Branching

Branching in the context of variant management refers to the process of creating parallel variants (or "branches") of a product, software, or system to accommodate different features, configurations, or customer requirements. Each branch represents a distinct variant or development path, allowing teams to work on multiple instances simultaneously without affecting the main or original branch.

How branching works

Branching typically involves creating a "copy" or "fork" of a base configuration or product. This forked version can then be modified independently to include specific features, adaptations, or experimental changes. The original version remains unchanged, ensuring stability and consistency.

Branches can later be merged back into the main version (if compatible) or maintained as separate, permanent variants.

Benefits of branching

• Parallel Development: Teams can work on multiple variants or features at the same time without interference.

• Risk Management: Changes or experiments can be isolated to a branch, reducing the risk of impacting the main product.

• Customization: Enables tailored solutions for specific customer needs or market demands.
  

→ In contrast to the creation of a maximum variant (see also Maximum BOM), from which all variants can be derived, the advantage of branching is that independent instances can be processed (largely) without taking the other variants into account.

Challenges

The advantage of being able to process variants independently within the framework of branches is therefore also one of the biggest challenges:

• Complexity: Managing multiple branches can become difficult, especially as the number of variants grows.

• Merging Conflicts: Reintegrating branches into the main version can lead to conflicts if changes are not compatible.

• Maintenance: Each branch requires ongoing attention, which can increase resource demands.