What is Configuration Management?

Configuration Management refers to the management and tracking of artifacts created during a project.

Elements of Configuration Management:

Version control

As artifacts are created during a project, it is important to ensure that they can be easily found. It is also important to ensure that all team members can always access the most current version, and be able to find old versions as well. Storing artifacts in a repository is important because creating the project artifacts takes time and effort and they are generally not easily reproduced. Version control is important because it ensures that a history for each artifact is maintained which allows team members to help determine why decisions were made and what has been tried in the past. Most version control systems also allow multiple team members to collaborate on a single artifact either at the same time, or sequentially. Version control helps to ensure that the work of one team member is not overwritten by another team member, and helps to ensure that the work of all team members is consistent and compatible.

Change Management

As artifacts are approved and base lined, it is important to ensure that further changes go through change management. Effective change management allows the project team to maintain control over a project to ensure that it is completed on time with the features agreed upon by the customer. Change management also gives customers a means to request changes to a project and have the impact of the changes analyzed which helps to ensure that projects stay on budget. Change management is typically overseen by a change control board which evaluates each change request and determines what further action needs to be taken.

Reporting (Status and Metrics)

An important part of configuration management is the ability to report on the artifacts in the repository. This is especially important for Project Managers so they can quickly assess the status of a project, determine if there are highly volatile areas, and to determine if unauthorized changes are being made. Information that may need to be reported on include the status of artifacts, how frequently artifacts are changing, costs, who has made changes, status of changes, and more.