Describe Five Stages In The Configuration Management Process

Hi Paul – please provide some feedback on the following. I worry that I would not be able to do this within the time limit.

Planning.Identification.Control.Status Accounting.Audit

1. The Configuration Plan must be written into the project management plan and approved prior to the implementation phase. The plan relates to quality and change control plans and must identify roles and responsibilities. e.g. who is the Configuration Librarian, what their role and procedures are.

The plan also contains the tools, templates and techniques the librarian and other members of the project team must use and follow.

2. The items that will form part of the configuration library (plans, drawings, specifications etc) must be identified and catelogued in the library, specifying how each is related to other items in the library. This means if one is changed, the project manager and librarian know which others must be looked at if not also changed. Each item must be clearly referenced with a unique identifier and assigned a single named item controller. Version control must be monitored.

3.Once the plan, system, roles and library of items is in place, it must be used in a controlled manner. The librarian (and/or project office) must ensure that if they receive any change requests, these are made only in accordance with the procedures in the configuration process. e.g. Documents are checked out of the library by the librarian upon request and checked back in with any changes being rated, versuion control applied and identification of any other documents that require their respective item controller to modify. The librarian then tests to assure that all components are still aligned with each other. The control board may also be involved to ensure this.

4. Status accounting must be maintained to ensure that the library and its contents are all correctly versioned and the integrity maintained at any given moment in time. i.e. if the specification for a PEG has been changed to version 2, the status accounting activity will seek to ensure that the related specification for the relevant HOLE has also been checked, changed if neccessary and updated to version 2 accordingly and that independent cross checking of both documents will reveal a PEG and HOLE the meets the specs and still fits together.

5. An independent audit acts as an assurance (for the project managers, sponsor and board) that the entire configuration process and procedure is working as intended, that the documents are maintained correctly, all members involved are adequately aware of their roles and responsibilities, the process is being followed and all are competent. The results may reveal corrective actions (non-conformances) that not only have to be corrected – but documents that may have to be looked at specifically to avoid errors being made to deliverables.