Hi Paul,
Please can you provide some feedback on the following exam question?
Thank you
2. List and describe five keys activities typically performed as part of an effective configuration management process
Planning
During this stage, a configuration management plan will be produced by the project manager to form part of the PMP. The PM will likely seek support from key stakeholders, such as the team, and the project support office. Strategy and objectives of the configuration process will be documented along with the roles and responsibilities of the everyone involved. The plan that will also include tools and processes which will help the process e.g. templates
Identification
At this stage, every item will be given a unique identifier to ensure clear communication throughout the project. The owner of each item will also be documented following agreement. This is best done using a product breakdown structure. This not only defined the dependencies between the different products. For example, it will show that is one high-level specification changes then this could have an impact on all the other products at lowe levels of the structure.
Control
Items will be collated in to a configuration library to provide a holistic view of all deliverables work packages. The configuration librarian will oversee and control the library, ensuring items are checked in and out, stakeholders are notified when an item changes and correct labelling is adhered to. Any impact to other items following amendments will be noted and affected owners notified.
Status Accounting
A log will produced to document key aspects of the configuration items. It provides a quick glance view of each items owner, last modified date, status, version number and identifier. Any changed items will need to update this log to ensure remains up to date. This is very important in a larger project where you might have many changes and many products. Keeping on top of all these changes is vital to maintain the integrity of the configuration data.
Audit
An audit could be performed by the PM to ensure the process is being adhered to and identify any gaps. Any one not following the process correctly will be notified to ensure accurate actions moving forward lessons learnt will be collated and share it. It will also be conducted at the critical stage in the project. Typical these could be pre-construction or before contracting. The purpose of the configuration audit is to make sure that all the products are up to date and consistent with each other.
