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What is a Configuration Management Plan?
Need
a configuration management plan for an information management project
and want some practical suggestions to ensure rapid project delivery?
Configuration
management (CM)
Configuration management is a set of
processes and procedures required to ensure that
all hardware and software components in production environments are
clearly identified and are not modified without some authorized process.
For information management purposes configuration management applies to
all
of the software code, documentation, test results and other
deliverables that are produced during an information management project.
What standards and best practices are required?
- All components should have a standard
naming convention and all components should comply to the
standard
naming convention;
- A CM
database
should be
established to record the name of the configuration component and the
version;
- SCM
tools and
platforms should specify the
tool/platform, version and function of each tool;
- Configuration
identification should be
specified including:
- Work product identification and disposition
should specify project work
products (deliverables), how they will be controlled, where they will
be stored and what tool will be used;
- Naming and identification scheme should
specify each work product (deliverable) and the naming scheme required;
- Baseline creation process should specify how
a baseline configuration will be determined;
- Labels should specify the label naming
conventions
- Branching/merging
should specify how branching/merging will be
handled;
- Managing configuration items should specify how
configuration items will be stored in:
- Software work product storage; and
- Repository access and control
- Development disaster
prevention and recovery
should specify processes to be followed in event of disaster or
operational failure
- Configuration control should specify the
control procedure for change
management;
- Configuration
status accounting should specify
the types of status accounting reports required;
- Configuration
audits should specify audit
requirements, audit schedule and auditor’s name;
- Configuration
reporting and tracking should
specify the reporting requirement;
- Subcontractor
or vendor control should specify
configuration management requirements for subcontractor and vendor
work; and
- SCM
metrics
should specify metrics and
analytics reporting requirements
Accountability
Accountabilities for each key role
involved in CM should be defined and
communicated to all stakeholders.
Summary...
A configuration
management plan is a vital component of information management and
requires
that standards or best practices be documented and communicated to all
stakeholders
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