configuration management

Configuration Management.
Configuration Management should ensure that all changes to the projects deliverables are notified centrally and then distributed to all relevant project personnel. This
ensures that all staff are always working with up-to-date versions of the projects design and development documentation. The diagram shown illustrates the sort of problems that may occur if configuration management procedures are not applied properly. In this example the engineering design department has created a design specification for a new camera, which they submit to a central project file.

The marketing department accesses a copy of the design specification, in order to produce a brochure that accurately depicts the product. The production department also accesses a copy - in order to manufacture it. Later on, a significant design change is generated by the engineering design department, who forward this directly to the production department - forgetting to inform marketing of the changes. This illustrates a common and informal method by which project information is passed around organizations - and one that must not be relied on. In this example, the end result would be an expensive glossy brochure that no longer accurately depicted the product. As well as being expensive, this would have a negative impact on the product launch. However, communication failures can also lead to the delivery of a defective end-product.

Four Main Sources of Change.
No matter how carefully planned a project has been, changes will need to be made as it progresses. These will result from both external influences as well as problems that arise within the project environment. The four main sources of change are . . .
Business changes, which may result from: changes in legislation, changes in government policy or changes in business strategy.
Marketing /user changes, which may result from changes in the requirements of the customer, who may be either part of, or outside of, the organization. It is also possible that feedback gained during the review or testing of a product may show that it is inappropriate in some unforeseen way.
Technical changes may be required as emerging technology may offer a better solution to that originally planned. Alternatively, technical problems may prevent a product from working in the way that it was supposed to. High level business decisions may change the basic terms of reference of the project - for example there may be a change to the overall scope of the project.

All of these potential changes need a process to control them and their effect on the project. This process, called change control, should ensure that proposed changes are interpreted in terms of their potential effect on project timescales, costs, benefits, quality and personnel. Where there is a proposed alteration to the projects products, change control should: Analyze the change and assess its impact. Then prioritize and plan the necessary work, and finally control its implementation. It is important that no action is taken without the authority of the appropriate level of management.

Cost Control.
Effective project control depends on a well organized cost control system. This requires careful design, development and implementation to ensure that immediate feedback can be obtained, showing an up-to-date picture of resources used compared to target objectives established during the planning cycle.
It is important that management compare the time, cost and performance actuals against the budgeted time, cost and performance in the plans. This comparison must be done in an integrated way - as having the correct budgetary spend at a specific time becomes far less impressive if performance is only running at 60% (as illustrated earlier). It is only by continual monitoring of all three parameters that project managers can keep their eye on the big picture and avoid the common project scenario of winning the battles but losing the war. By applying an appropriate and effective control system project management will be able to monitor schedule and performance as well as costs; by setting budgets, measuring expenditure against the budget and thereby identifying variances.

Key Elements.
The requirements for any effective project control system should include:
Thorough planning of the work required to complete the project including accurate estimates of time, manpower and other resources. Clear mechanisms should be in place to facilitate the practical authorization of expenditure. Reporting of physical progress and cost expenditures should be documented. Finally, there should be accurate comparisons of actual progress and expenditures to schedules and budgets.

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