Configuration Management Guidelines and Best Practices

Summary of Configuration Management Policy

The configuration management policy requires that configuration management (CM) must be performed on IT projects in accordance with organizationally established CM procedures to ensure that controlled and stable baselines are established for planning, managing, and building IT systems. As part of this process, the integrity of the system’s configuration is controlled over time, and the status and content of the baselines are known.

Implementation Guidelines for Configuration Management

Configuration management is a formal discipline that provides developers and users with the methods and tools to identify the product developed, establish baselines, control changes to these baselines, record and track status, and audit the product.

During the planning process, the procedures and required resources for CM are defined and the control items that will be tracked are identified. The goals for configuration management planning are to:

• Explicitly assign authority and responsibility for CM for the project.
• Ensure the CM is implemented throughout the project’s life cycle by setting standards, procedures, and guidelines that are produced and distributed to the full project team.
• Ensure that project management has a repository for storing configuration items and associated CM records.
• Ensure that reviews of baselines and CM activities occur on a regular basis.
• Ensure that changes are controlled and that the impact of changes on the hardware and software configuration is understood prior to approving the changes.

Configuration Management Requirements

A CM plan is included as part of the project plan, or it can appear as a separate document or as sections within an overall quality plan. The degree of specification of the CM plan is dependent on the size, cost, complexity, and impact on the business.

Each agency must ensure appropriate configuration management processes are applied to IT projects. Agencies are encouraged to use and tailor PMI standards based upon the size, cost, complexity, and impact on the business.

Project Management