Configuration & Data Management

Enterprise level Configuration and Data Management provides the backbone upon which Enterprise Management, Program and Project Management, IT Services, Software Management, Systems Engineering, Supply Chain Management and Contractual Requirements Management are built.

Configuration & Data Management - Value Transformation

CDM Managment

Configuration and Data Management processes were first documented in the United States by the U. S. Department of Defense. Out of these requirements grew much of what is found in ISO and GEIA standards. While the currently defined requirements matured over the last 70 years their history pre-dates the Phoenicians and China’s first dynasty.

Change Management

The commercial world is governed by market change dynamics that greatly influence CM considerations, but also the viability and sustainability of products and the infrastructure required to market and support them. This is a much broader application than strictly government considerations for systems and goods often driven by logistical necessity or by a response to international considerations.

Configuration Audit

The validation of the product and the process helps ascertain the abilities of both the product and the manufacturing processes to meet the expectation or defined project and business goals. This phase includes trial production runs, run at rate runs, Measurement System Evaluation, Production Part Approval, and much more.

Configuration Identification

Configuration identification is the process for discovering and categorizing the attributes associated with the hardware or the software. These are recorded and will comprise the baseline of the product.

Configuration Verification

The first U.S. Verification Model (V-Model) appeared in a proposal from Hughes Aircraft in 1982 for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s advanced automation system program. From the V-Model came our current conceptions of allocation, validation, and verification. Allocation assigns product requirements to systems and subsystems. Validation assures that the configuration was built to the engineering aka did we build it right. Verification assures all allocated requirements of a configuration have been met aka did we build the right thing.

Data Management

CM could not exist without its sub-element data management (DM). Although CM is most often associated with a product, DM is associated with every record in the company regardless of form or format. Data Management can be traced to the Samarian culture.

Planning and Management

Configuration planning is perhaps the most important aspect of a successful CM implementation. Not all configuration management activities are performed by an organization called Configuration and Data Management. To truly understand CM in the broader context, it must be viewed in relationship to the business as a whole, and at least a rudimentary grasp of the functional resources within an organization and their role as well as basic concepts regarding each roles primary function.

Status Accounting

Status and accounting is the activity involved in the collection, management, accounting for, and reporting on all of the information that is generated relative to a product regardless of source as well as data mining of that information

Configuration Management – a product management system that ultimately ensures product repeatability of performance, functional and physical attributes, by managing changes throughout the product development lifecycle.

    1. https://cmpic.com/

Configuration Management discussion with Kim L. Robertson and Jon M. Quigley in Eindhoven Holland, during the guest lecture series and configuration management conference at Eindhoven University of Technology February 2019.

CM Theory Practice and Application

Configuration Management Tales part 1 , Joe Dager and Kim Robertson

Tales of configuration management part 1:

Configuration Management Tales part 2 , Joe Dager and Kim Robertson

Tales of configuration management part 2:

Evolution of the product through configuration management , Joe Dager and Jon M. Quigley

Discussion of the role configuration management plays in orchestrating the functional and feature growth of the product through the development process and throughout the product life-cycle:

PM Chat podcasts:

A podcast interview with Jon M. Quigley who along with Kim L. Robertson have written the book: Configuration Management Theory, Practice, and Application!

Jon M Quigley discusses requirements and configuration management required for incremental and iterative product development and it is incumbent upon the project manager to have a modicum of understanding about this product management area to ascertain the level of risks to the project based upon the level of capability of the organization.

Available Soon!

Software Process and Measurement Cast podcasts:

The Big Picture of Configuration Management, Tom Cagley and Kim L. Robertson

Configuration Management is a common thread that ties the various departments and organization together, facilitating coordination of effort and is fundamental to product and human growth.

Product Development and Configuration Management, Tom Cagley and
Jon M. Quigley

Configuration management, the management, and control of project deliverable, is one of the most critical practices anyone building a product, writing a piece of code or working on a project with more than one person involved must learn or face the consequences!

Spamcast 380 – Kim Robertson, The Big Picture of Configuration Management

https://spamcast.libsyn.com/category/Configuration+Management

SPaMCAST 346 – Configuration Management, An Interview With Jon M Quigley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yNV2BTLZh5KNkUxf1hzZF

SPaMCAST 575 – Messing Up Agile Hybrids, Deming and Book Club, Essays and Discussions

https://spamcast.libsyn.com/spamcast-575-messing-up-agile-hybrids-deming-and-book-club-essays-and-discussions

SPaMCAST 552 – Fit For Value, Saying No, Essays and Discussions

https://spamcast.libsyn.com/spamcast-552-fit-for-value-saying-no-essays-and-discussions

SPaMCAST 856 Playing Billiards On A Boat, Essays and Conversations with Jon M Quigley

Playing Billiards On A Boat, Essays and Conversations with Jon M Quigley, SPaMCAST 856

Product Quality in Product Development Project Management

Product Quality in Product Development Project Management Introduction In today’s competitive market, product quality is not just a desirable attribute—it’s a fundamental requirement for successful product development and project management. Integrating product quality into every project lifecycle ensures that the final product meets customer expectations, regulatory standards, and business goals.  The quality of the product […]

Why Effective Product Testing Fails: Common Pitfalls

Effective Product Testing Execution and my thoughts on this. The outcome can be a disaster if we poorly execute an effective, well-defined process.  Below are my thoughts on this link https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robert-fey-78178b154_mrbrokentesting-integrationblindness-testingstrategy-activity-7345338918126432256-OWgo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJVUn4BzjTVfTnHgKx3zQWTPI5tYcYTiCM   Unit tests pass. If unit testing does not represent the real world, then it means little. Unit testing should go beyond specification limits […]

Configuration Management in Manufacturing Equipment and Software: It Matters

What Is Configuration Management in Manufacturing?   Configuration management (CM) is a systematic process that ensures all aspects of a product—manufacturing equipment, software, or both—remain consistent with their original specifications and intended functionality throughout their lifecycle. In manufacturing, configuration management aligns the product’s performance, functional, and physical attributes with requirements, design, and operational information from […]

Outsourcing Testing Doesn’t Have to Kill Product Quality: Trust But Verify

Jon M Quigley The genesis of this post is  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343144597839056897/ Outsourced Testing Best Practices: Safeguarding Product Quality in 2025 We often seek out best practices for outsourced testing as if there is a silver bullet. That is not so.  Some key principles help. Outsourced testing is often criticized as a shortcut that leads to poor […]

Ideal PLM and Failures

This blog post is promoted by a LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alindenthal_engineers-give-up-plm-plm-systems-have-activity-7337209561826660352-Yi2X/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJVUn4BzjTVfTnHgKx3zQWTPI5tYcYTiCM What Is an Ideal PLM System Supposed to Do? An ideal Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system is designed to serve as the digital backbone for managing a product’s entire lifecycle—from concept and design through manufacturing, service, and end-of-life. At its core, a PLM system should: […]

Why Engineers Give Up on PLM Systems

This blog post is promoted by a LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alindenthal_engineers-give-up-plm-plm-systems-have-activity-7337209561826660352-Yi2X/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJVUn4BzjTVfTnHgKx3zQWTPI5tYcYTiCM Engineers Give Up on PLM Systems – Lessons from Jon M. Quigley’s Work Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems are intended to streamline product development, enhance traceability, and ensure quality. Yet, as Jon M. Quigley, renowned author, engineer, and project management expert, has observed throughout his […]

Why Delayed SOP Reveals Systemic Blindness in Testing Chaos

By Jon M. Quigley From Robert Fey’s post on LinkedIn. Response:    Delayed SOP Is Just the Tip—Systemic Blindness Runs Deep When a delayed SOP (Start of Production) surfaces, it’s tempting to blame test quality or last-minute execution. These are failure points for sure. However, it can also be uncontrolled scope changes, poor configuration, poor […]

Aspirations – The Adam Sandler of Product Development

The Adam Sandler of Product Development I like Adam Sandler movies. My first introduction to him was the Chanukah song on a camping trip in remote British Columbia in the late 1990s. My favorite movie of his is probably The Waterboy, or maybe The Wedding Singer. I stop and watch whenever I come across either […]

Sharing Knowledge Freely

Sharing Knowledge Freely- And Knowing When to Charge By Jon M. Quigley As someone passionate about my field, I often share technical insights and advice, sometimes without expecting anything in return. My family occasionally worries that I give away too much for free.  Recently, I discussed AI and its applicability within the product development context […]

Tariffs and Testing

Of Tariffs and Testing. Jon M Quigley Headwinds or Opportunities? Join the Conversation on the Future of Automotive Testing in Europe You may have noticed that I have started writing for Automotive Testing Technology International, thank you very much Rachel Evans.  We are exploring topics to the upcoming event, specifically tariffs on testing.  There are […]

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