Configuration Management Standards
Configuration Management Standards relate to the governance and systematic control of changes made to a solution or its subcomponents throughout the lifecycle of a program or project. These standards involve formal documented processes, templates, and documentation aimed at ensuring consistency and traceability in the development process.
Key Points in Configuration Management:
Governance of Changes: Configuration management helps govern changes to the solution under development. This ensures that only approved changes are implemented, maintaining the integrity of the solution.
Alignment with Approved Requirements: One of the main functions of configuration management is to ensure that the developed product aligns with its approved requirements. Any divergence needs to be systematically assessed and controlled.
Traceability and Monitoring: Configuration management standards often dictate how traceability and monitoring should be conducted. For example, the traceability matrix may be required to align with these standards.
Adaptability: If an organization does not have established configuration management standards, the team is responsible for defining what the configuration management process will look like. This includes determining how the business analysis work will be incorporated into this process.
Accessibility and Safeguarding: Configuration management also deals with the storage of crucial project artifacts. This includes not just code and design elements, but also business analysis deliverables such as the requirements, models, traceability matrix, and issues list. These must be stored in a way that is easily accessible to project stakeholders but also safeguarded against unauthorized access or loss.
Version Control: One of the critical features of configuration management is the ability to revert to previous versions of an artifact, whether it's a piece of code, a model, or a requirement. This becomes crucial for troubleshooting, auditing, or addressing stakeholder concerns.
Choice of Tools: The standards may be flexible enough to allow the use of various tools for configuration management. A Business Analyst may employ a Configuration Management System (CMS), a requirements management repository, or even a wiki platform to meet the objectives laid out by the configuration management standards.
In essence, Configuration Management Standards serve as a framework that instills discipline, consistency, and traceability in the development process. By adhering to these standards, organizations can improve the quality of the final product, ease the process of auditing and compliance, and streamline the workflow among different stakeholders, including business analysts.