Moderators: Yolanda Mabutas, Khurram Hussain, Mary Kathrine Padua, John Paul Bugarin, Lisa Sweeney PMP, Harry Elston, Brad Pennington, PMP, Kyle Kilbride, PMP, Jean Kwanda Configuration management is concerned with identifying, tracking and protecting a project’s deliverables or products from unauthorised change. The term configuration management originates from the software industry, where it was used to keep control of the various versions of programs and other files of data that were created during the course of a software development initiative. In most programmes, management products such as the vision statement, business blueprint and programme plan are examples of documents requiring the application of configuration management. Project briefs, project initiation documents, business cases, checkpoint and highlight reports are examples of project documentation that usually require some form of configuration management. Purpose of configuration managementWithin a project, the purpose of configuration management is to identify, track and protect the project’s deliverables or products from unauthorised change. Configuration management is a discipline that gives precise control over the project’s assets allowing managers to:
Within a project the job of configuration management is to provide:
Configuration management may be applied to all version-controlled deliverables including:
The main rule is that only one person should have the ability to update a controlled item at any one time. A library system could be used to check out an item for update, and check in the item when the work has been completed. Various access and authorisation rules can be applied to ensure people follow the procedures. The controls can be enforced physically, for example with password systems, but allowance must be made for those times when operational emergencies occur. Configuration management roles and responsibilitiesThe configuration management plan will outline the detail of the roles and responsibilities of configuration management but, typically, the main roles are:
Related articlesWhat is configuration management plan in project management?Definition: A Configuration Management Plan is a management tool that defines, documents, controls, instructs, implements, and manages changes to various components throughout a project.
Is configuration management plan part of project management plan?Planning: A configuration management plan details how you will record, track, control, and audit configuration. This document is often part of the project quality management plan.
Is configuration management system part of project management information system?Configuration Management system is Part of Project Management Information System (PMIS). It contains organization's standardized configuration management tools, processes, and procedures.
What are the five stages of the configuration management process?Here's a refresher on how to do it.. First, Plan. Configuration management begins at the beginning of the project when you're putting together you project management plan. ... . Next, Identify Config Items. ... . Control Your Records. ... . Status Accounting. ... . Finally, Audit.. |