Program Configuration Management

Definition

Program Configuration Management

the configuration management activity consisting of the cohesive collection of all tasks that are primarily performed to manage an program’s baselines of configuration items

Classification

As illustrated in the preceding figure, program configuration management is part of the following inheritance hierarchy:

• Type: Abstract
• Superclass: Configuration Management
• Subclasses:
  • Concurrent development of a:
    • Quick and dirty version of an application to achieve initial market visibility and market share.
    • Well-engineered replacement version of the same system to meet business and quality requirements.
  • Concurrent development of two or more related systems (e.g., the development of a Web-based and wireless order taking system).
  • Sequential projects to create and maintain a single system:
    • An initial initiation phase project to determine the size, complexity, cost, schedule, and viability of a system.
    • A following construction and delivery phase project to produce and deliver the completed system.

Responsibilities

The typical responsibilities of Program Configuration Management are to:

• Ensure that stakeholders know the major components of the program.
• Minimize project disruption due to uncontrolled changes to major components of the program.
• Provide an audit trail on why, when, and by whom baselined work products are changed.
• Identify configuration items and baselines to enable the retrieval of specific versions of work products and baselines.
• Control changes to configuration items and baselines to minimize program disruption.
• Report the status of changes to configuration items and baselines to all relevant stakeholders.
• Audit baselines to ensure that they consist of the correct versions of the correct configuration items.

Preconditions

Configuration Management typically may begin when the following conditions hold:

• The endeavor is started.
• The configuration management team, change control board, and program team are:
  • Initially staffed.
  • Adequately trained in configuration management.

Completion Criteria

Program Configuration Management is typically complete when the following conditions hold:

• The program is completed.
• The associated configuration items have been retired.

Tasks

Program Configuration Management typically involves the following teams performing the following tasks in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and time-boxed manner:

• Configuration Management Team, which performs:
  • Configuration Management Planning
  • Configuration Identification
  • Version Control
  • Configuration Control
  • Configuration Status Reporting
  • Configuration Auditing
• Change Control Board, which performs:
  • Configuration Control
• Program Team, which performs:
  • Version Control

Environments

Program Configuration Management is typically performed using the following environment(s) and associated tools:

• Reuse Environment:
  • Configuration Management Tool
  • Problem Reporting Tool
• Development Environments:
  • Configuration Management Tool
  • Problem Reporting Tool
• Test Environment:
  • Configuration Management Tool
  • Problem Reporting Tool
• Production Environments:
  • Configuration Management Tool
  • Problem Reporting Tool

Work Products

Program Configuration Management typically results in the production of all or part of the following work products in the configuration management work product set:

• Configuration Management Plan
• Change Request Form
• Configuration Identification Report
• Configuration Control Board Meeting Minutes
• Configuration Status Report
• Configuration Audit Report

Phases

Program Configuration Management tasks are typically performed during the following phases:

Guidelines

• This activity is documented using the typical configuration for significant programs. It is intended to be configured (i.e., instantiated, extended, and tailored) to meet the needs of specific programs.
• The preconditions of this activity should be the union of the preconditions of its constituent tasks.
• The completion criteria for this activity should be the union of the postconditions of its constituent tasks.