The overall objective of the Configuration Management Plan is to document and inform project stakeholders about Configuration Management (CM) within a project, what CM tools will be used, and how they will be applied by the project. The CM Plan details the methodology that the Program Manager (PM) and systems engineer will be used to control program documentation and the program baseline (Technical, Functional, and Allocated).
Definition: A Configuration Management Plan is a management tool that defines, documents, controls, instructs, implements, and manages changes to various components throughout a project.
What is Configuration Management (CM)
Configuration Management (CM) is the application of sound program practices to establish and maintain consistency of a product’s or system’s attributes with its requirements and evolving technical baseline over its life. It involves interaction among government and contractor program functions such as systems engineering, hardware/software engineering, specialty engineering, logistics, contracting, and production in an Integrated Product Team (IPT) environment.
Purpose of a Configuration Management Plan
The purpose of a Configuration Management Plan is to define a project’s structure and methods for:
- Identifying, defining, and baselining configuration items (CI)
- Controlling modifications and releases of CIs
- Reporting and recording the status of CIs and any requested modifications
- Ensuring completeness, consistency, and correctness of CIs
- Controlling storage, handling, and delivery of the CIs
Responsible for the Configuration Management Plan
The Program Manager (PM) is responsible for developing and executing the Configuration Management Plan. on their project or program. The program manager should use the Configuration Management Plan plan to control the technical, functional, and Acquisition Program Baseline throughout the acquisition and system life cycle.
Configuration Management Plan Updates
The CM Plan should be updated periodically to reflect changes in procedures, rules, regulations, and best practices to maintain proper Configuration Management practices.
Developing the Configuration Management Plan
The template below is the best place to start when developing your project or organization configuration Management plan. The template covers the main topics that need to be addressed in the plan and is easily adaptable for new topics of interest.
Template: Configuration Management Plan
Sample Configuration Management Plan Outline
- INTRODUCTION
- Purpose
- Background
- Scope
- Document Overview
- References
- SYSTEM OVERVIEW
- CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS
- Organizations and Responsibilities
- Configuration Identification
- Configuration Change Control
- Configuration Status Accounting
- Configuration Reviews
- CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT PROCESS
- Process Overview
- Classification
- Evaluation
- Modeling and Testing
- Implementation
- NEXT STEPS
- Plan CM Implementation
- Establish CM Folders
- Identify CM Tools
- Establish Change Control Board
- APPENDIX A FORMS
- APPENDIX B CHARTER
- APPENDIX C REFERENCES
- APPENDIX D APPROVAL
AcqNotes Tutorial
AcqLinks and References:
Updated: 9/11/2022
Rank: G3.3
