Configuration Management – change and version control
IMPORTANT.
In previous editions of PRINCE2, reference was made to the Configuration Management Strategy.
This is no longer the case.
The PRINCE2 7th Edition (quite rightly) allows each project to apply Version Control in an appropriate manner.
However, Configuration Management is a topic that many project teams know little about (although version control is well-known. Take the development and upgrading for software for example.
So, before I provide a general overview of what Configuration Management is and does, let me give you the approach and terminology to the occasional mention of version control in PRINCE2 7th Edition:
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Issues, changes, and version control in PRINCE2 7
Approved requests for change and off-specifications should be recorded in the project log and
reflected in the affected management products.
The baselines of different management products may be maintained using different systems, but each system should enable configuration control by providing a record of changes and an archive of superseded versions.
Management product: Issue management approach
The issue management approach is part of the project initiation documentation.
The purpose of the issue management approach is to describe how issues will be captured and reported
and explain how changes to the project baseline will be assessed and controlled.
Scope: description of the scope of the issue management approach
Project baseline elements: list of the management products comprising the project baseline
Issue reporting and resolution procedure: description of how issues will be raised, reported, and
resolved (Any variance from business standards should be highlighted, together with justification for any
variance.)
Change control procedure: description of how changes to the project baseline will be requested,
decided, incorporated, and verified (Any variance from business standards should be highlighted,
together with justification for any variance.)
Change budget: the authorized change budget and any allocations at the stage or work package level
Timing formal issue management activities: when and how often issues will be reviewed and decided
Responsibilities: defines who will be responsible for the roles associated with the issue management
approach, including delegation of change authority
Supporting tools or systems: any tools or systems that will be used to perform or support the issue
management approach, such as a version control system
Standards: any standards that apply to issue management, such as the grading system used for rating
priority and severity of issues. (The standards should also specify the composition and format of the issue
register and other change control records.)
References: for any associated documents or products
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How configuration management is generally applied to (non-PRINCE2) projects
The biggest mistake project managers can make is to start planning before thinking through the best strategy to deliver the end product. Four key strategies need to be considered and developed, and one concerned with version and change control is a document often called The Configuration Management Strategy.
Configuration management strategy is essential for the project to maintain control over its management and specialist products.
Configuration item records should be created for each specialist product. This is also true for management products such plans or business case for example.
This information is crucial to the maximum level of control required within the configuration management strategy. The initial set of configuration item records will be created during this activity.
The configuration management strategy will define the format and composition of the documents that need to be maintained.
The Configuration Management Strategy document
The structure of the configuration management strategy document (remember that a strategy is a ‘how’) is as follows:
Purpose, objectives, and scope. Identifies who is responsible for strategy
Description or reference to the procedure used. Should include:
- planning
- identification
- control
- security
- handover procedures
- status accounting
- verification and audit
- description of, or reference to, the procedures to be used.
The configuration management strategy should cover:
- capturing
- examining
- proposing
- deciding and implementing
- Reference to any tools, techniques or systems to be used
Configuration management tools and responsibilities
A definition of the composition and format of the Issue Register and Configuration Item Records
Report composition and format (Issue Report, Product Status Account), their purpose, timing, and recipients, including reviewing the performance of the procedures
When formal activities are to be undertaken – for example, configuration audits
Who will be responsible for which aspects of what procedures? It also describes whether a Change Authority/Change Budget will be set up.
Prioritizing requests for change/off-specifications and the management levels needed for decision-making on various levels of severity
Before creating the configuration management strategy document, your project may find the following information be used to help define and create the configuration management strategy:
Your terms of reference should be checked to determine if there are any corporate or programme management strategies, standards or practices related to configuration management strategy that should be applied or adhered to in this particular project.
Either using the Lessons Log and/or seeking lessons from brainstorm sessions for similar previous projects, determine if any approaches could be valuable in providing a configuration management strategy for this project.
The issue register should be created, and any issues already captured in the daily log that need to be managed formally should be transferred to this register.
The configuration management strategy or procedure currently used within your organization should be applied or modified to suit this project. The sections should include planning, identification, control, status accounting, verification and audit.
Any special tools, techniques, or records that will be kept should be captured to aid the configuration management strategy.
When the configuration management activities should occur and how the performance of the configuration management procedure should be reported, along with roles and responsibilities for the configuration management activities.
How will the timing of configuration management activities and issue and change control activities occur?
Identifying the roles and responsibilities procedures. The project manager will want to discuss with the board whether to change authority and Budget. Scales for the priority and the severity of issues should be established and agreed upon.
The Configuration Management Strategy should be reviewed by project assurance to ensure that it meets the needs of the project board and all corporate or programme management if this project is part of a programme.
Your project board/senior business management may wish to approve the Configuration Management Strategy at this point, or they may prefer to review and approve it later as part of the project plan.
Find out more about PRINCE2 7th Edition here!
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