Configuration Management in PRINCE2 7th Edition
Configuration management is a critical aspect of project management, ensuring that all project products are identified, tracked, and controlled throughout their lifecycle. The PRINCE2 7th Edition introduces a refined approach to configuration management, emphasizing its importance in maintaining project integrity and facilitating effective change control.
Configuration Management is a collection of all the activities that maintain and control changes for each product throughout the lifecycle of the project and after the project is completed. It is about looking after the Project Products.
Key Elements of Configuration Management in PRINCE2 7th Edition
- Identification: This involves defining and documenting the characteristics of each project product. It ensures that every item is uniquely identifiable, which is crucial for tracking and managing changes.
- Control: Configuration control is about managing changes to the project products. It includes procedures for submitting change requests, evaluating their impact, and approving or rejecting them. This helps in maintaining the consistency and quality of the project deliverables.
- Status Accounting: This process involves recording and reporting the status of configuration items throughout the project lifecycle. It provides visibility into the current state of the project products, helping stakeholders stay informed about progress and any issues.
- Verification and Audit: Regular audits and verifications are conducted to ensure that the configuration management processes are being followed correctly. This helps in identifying discrepancies and ensuring that the project products meet the required standards.
- Baselining: Establishing baselines is a key part of configuration management. A baseline is a reference point that represents the state of a product at a specific time. It serves as a basis for further development and change control.
PRINCE2 Identification:
What happens in identification?
This is done at the start of the project. Each project is different, so the first question to ask is to what level of Configuration Management must be done.
For example, if we are designing a new laptop, we might decide to do Configuration Management for all major products that make up the laptop, but not worry about the tiny internal components in the main components, like the motor used in the hard-disk. The project will have a configuration item record and product description for the hard-disk but not for any internal components in the hard disk.
E.g. a CRM Project : you may wish to look after the following documents
- Main product, all major components, design, processes, user documentation
E.g. 100 person customer event project, you may want to look after, - Invites lists, speaker notes, handouts, catering information, venue contracts, etc..
Benefits of Configuration Management in PRINCE2 7th Edition
- Enhanced Control: By maintaining detailed records of all project products, configuration management provides better control over the project. It ensures that changes are systematically managed and that the project remains aligned with its objectives.
- Improved Quality: Regular audits and verifications help in maintaining the quality of the project products. Any deviations from the planned configuration can be quickly identified and corrected.
- Transparency and Accountability: Configuration status accounting provides transparency into the project’s progress and the status of its products. This fosters accountability among team members and stakeholders.
- Facilitated Change Management: With a structured approach to managing changes, configuration management helps in minimizing the impact of changes on the project. It ensures that all changes are evaluated, approved, and implemented in a controlled manner.
In conclusion, the PRINCE2 7th Edition’s approach to configuration management is designed to ensure that project products are consistently managed and controlled.
PRINCE2 7 Control or Control Changes:
What happens in Control?
Control is about controlling changes that are made to products during the project as once a product is approved “nothing moves, and nothing changes without authorization”. Baselined products are also used to compare the current situation with the previous objectives.
Control also deals with the storing, distribution of copies, access control, archiving and other such activities for both management and specialist products.
Tip: Think about a recent project that you have worked on and how you controlled access to documents and prevented other users from making changes to agreed documents.
PRINCE2 Status Accounting:
What happens in Status Accounting?
This is something that you may never have done or seen in a project, but it is good to know that this activity exists and can be used if required.
Status Accounting is the reporting of all current and historical data for each product using the Product Status Account report format. The report shows the current status of the product and how the product has changed with each new version.
Status Account can include the following status information for each product it looks at:
- Identifier
- Version
- Last update
- Current status
- Owner
- Changes since last update
- List of users
- Date of next baseline
- Related items
Here are two examples of a Status Account:
- The Librarian may ask for report from the computer systems
o Query: Author=George Orwell, Date=1940 to 1947, Status=In Library - The purchasing manager may have received an invoice from Supplier X and will ask you the Project Manager for the status on all products by that supplier in Stage 3.
o Query: Provider=Supplier X, Stage Produced=3, Current Status=Show Status
PRINCE2 Verification and audit:
What happens in Verification & Audit?
This is to verify that products are in line with the data in the Configuration Item Records. . For example: Do certain users have access to the correct product versions? Are products where they are supposed to be? Have they the correct identification numbers? Are the products secured?
Verification and audit also check that the configuration management procedure outlined in the issue management approach document is being followed correctly.
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