The implementation of configuration management must start with a well-conceived Configuration Management Plan. The CM Plan should address a number of elements important in the development, implementation, interoperability, usage, maintenance and evolution of an organization’s configuration management goals, vision, strategy, processes, best practices, desired competencies and supporting technologies including software.

It is no secret that levels of technical complexity and financial risk have rapidly grown within nearly every function of a modern-day aerospace and defense (A&D) contractor’s program. Today’s A&D project managers are experiencing a crushing density of complexity due to a confluence of business drivers and technology trends. As…

After the recent CMsights article on "What is a Configuration Management Plan" CMstat received several excellent questions about what should and should not go into a configuration management plan. Some readers were seeking help with developing a new CM plan from scratch, while others were attempting to perform a configuration…

A common error in Configuration Management planning is thinking that if your organization has implemented PDM software with change control capabilities, or even a complete industry-focused CM solution, then you must have a plan for configuration management. This implies there must be a written Configuration Management Plan in existence. Unfortunately…

Questions regarding the differences between Configuration Management (CM) and Change Management (also CM) arise so often that we decided to address it in a CMsights post. It is not uncommon that a new A&D program manager or engineering lead may think that configuration management and change management are synonyms. If…