Configuration management is the set of processes applied to the entire life cycle of the product, which aims to concretize and structure the production infrastructure through the systematic management of the changes made to it, in order to maintain its integrity over time.
The main advantage of the CM is therefore the consistency of the system, its software, and methodology applied.
A correct approach to configuration management guarantees the successful application of each individual configuration since the management system and its rules prevent errors. It also ensures that each configuration information is accessible and available, accurate, and documented at all stages of the product’s life.
When combined with automation, configuration management improves efficiency, because manual configuration processes are replaced with automated processes. This therefore allows you to manage multiple processes with the same or even fewer resources.
Why is configuration management important?
Configuration management is important because it allows you to scale infrastructure and software systems without having to increase administrative staff accordingly to manage those systems.
Configuration management includes five basic tasks. The CM process ensures that assets are tracked and monitored effectively.
A configuration management plan describes in detail how to log, monitor, control and verify the configuration.
This document is often part of the project’s quality management plan.
All configuration requirements of a project should be identified and documented. This includes functionality requirements, design requirements and any other specifications.
Completing this process establishes the configuration baseline for the project.
As the scope of the project evolves, the impact of requested modifications to the configuration must be assessed, approved and documented.
This is normally done as part of the project change control process
Transparency and traceability. You should be able to know which version of your configuration is on, as well as having a historical record of old versions.
It is essential to have an account of all versions so that you can track changes throughout the project. This also allows you to retrace the methodology employed and/or “replay” any of the past configurations the software has performed should the customer request the remanufacture of a specific component.
Includes any tests to demonstrate that the product complies with the configuration requirements. Let’s say you have created a report that needs to be run within 10 seconds.
The audit verifies whether the finished report is performed within the prescribed time. Often, audits and controls will be integrated upon completion of the main project phases. This way you can identify problems early.
At Configuratori we offer companies an analysis service of the organizational situation and production processes, as well as the integration and development of IT tools (PLM) used to prepare for certification.