Configuration management, what's it about

Configuration Management Defined

It’s all about changes

“Configuration Management (CM)

is the practice of handling changes systematically

so that a system maintains its integrity over time.”

CM is about change control

… change is inevitable!! And you’ll have to deal with it!

Unless you develop a system in a first-time-right effort …

CM is about change control

“We’d better put that in a remote IO …”

“I really need an extra ….”

Changing customer requirements:

Changes in design choices:

Correction of errors: “Bugger! I’ve forgotten to put in a

…”

CM is about change control

Information

PRODUCT INFORMATION

CM is about change control

PROJECT INFORMATION

CM is about change control

• drawings• designs• test reports• datasheets• …

• schedules• correspondence• progress reports• contracts• …

PRODUCT INFORMATION

STOPPROJECT INFORMATION

CM is about change controlPROJECT INFORMATION

PRODUCT INFORMATION

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CM is about change control

… a change will result in a change somewhere in your information flow…

Since your system development process is, for a large part, actually an information processing process…

It will emerge as a new ‘version’ of some document, purchase order, software code … even when you’re not working with version control at all…

CM is about change control

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Version Control is part of CM

CM is about change control

Imagine taking ‘snapshots’ of all documents at certain points during the development…

It is up to you to decide when you take these snapshots. Depends on what moments you’d like to capture and keep for later

CM is about change control

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CM is about change control

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Requirements Module test FAT As built

CM is about change control

• What information is affected?• How will it affect the final delivery?• How to make the change?• Who will make the change?• Who needs to know?• How to inform them?

How to deal with change?

“CM implements the policies, procedures, techniques, and tools that are required to manage, evaluate proposed changes, track the status of changes, and to maintain an inventory of system and support documents as the system changes.”

CM is about change control

Issue handling (examples)

CM is about change control

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CM is about change control

Why you need CM

… any work that is done based on unreliable information is likely to cost you money and/or time!

Since your system development process is, for a large part, actually an information processing process…

You need reliable information when someone asks:

• “Can I have the ‘as build’ version of …?”• “Where’s that sensor and actor list?”• “Who has been working on that software?!”• “Are you sure about that nominal motor current?”• “Have all revisions been processed?”• “Is this Technical Construction File complete?”• “Who decided to put in a different type of

contactor?”

Why you need CM

How much CM do you need?

CM needs to be tailored to …

… your company

… your type of business

CM needs to be tailored to …

… your product

CM needs to be tailored to …

… your project !!

CM needs to be tailored to …

across disciplines

CM maturity levels

issue tracking

versioning

archiving

Storing one single version: “the most recent one”

Storing successive versions• Date-time-stamp• author• Version #• change note

Track issues and relate them to new versions of documents

Full blown CM

CM summary