TOPIC: Configuration Management Plan

Can anyone explain regarding a configuration management plan?
I read somewhere that it is not considered a part of Project Life Cycle. How and when and in which process it is used?

Thank you for your response.

Dear Anil:

Good day and thanks for your question. I am sorry that I was not able to reply to you earlier as I have been sick for the last couple of weeks.

The Configuration Management Plan is a part of the Project Management Plan. There is no dedicated PMBOK process related to the development of the Configuration Management Plan. It is developed during the Develop Project Management Plan process and changes to it are controlled through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.

The “configuration” is specification of both the project deliverables and processes. The Configuration Management Plan documents how the deliverables and processes will be identified, selected, defined and verified. It also documents how it will be managed, that is, manually or by the use of some configuration management system, and how changes to the project configuration will be managed and coordinated.

The Configuration Management Plan can be a high-level and broadly framed document or more specific and detailed document depending upon the needs of the project. The project manager will determine this and is responsible for its creation, management and control.

The Control Scope process would use the Configuration Management Plan as an input to inspect the project deliverables.

Please let us know, if the above explanation addresses your query. Feel free to ask if anything is still confusing you.

Warm regards,

Khurram

Thanx, Khurram.

Hope now you would be feeling well.

So Configuration Management Plan can be created side-by-side with PM Plan development in the Planning process group.
The PM Plan is part of Project Life Cycle and created specifically for a particular project, right?

I don't remember now but read somewhere that Config. Management Plan is not considered part of the Project Life Cycle.
Now Can it be part of Organization Precess Assets to deal with other projects as well?

I appreciate your response in clarifying my confusion.
I'm taking PMP exam this week.

Thank you again.

Regards,
ANIL

Dear Anil:

Good day!

Both the project management plan and the configuration management plan are parts of the project life cycle. For simpler projects, the configuration management plan might not be developed. The project manager will decide which components of the project management plan should be developed in detail, which at a high level and which should not be developed at all. However, if the configuration management plan is developed, it becomes a part of the project management plan and hence becomes a part of the project life cycle.

I am not sure where you read that the configuration management plan is not the part of the project life cycle. If you can share the reference, it would be great. However, please note that the project life cycle is a part of the overall product life cycle. Every product life cycle has a project life cycle. At a very high level, it could be understood as the project life cycle of a product develops the product design and the first product and then it ends, while the product life cycle continues till the product is produced until it is retired. The configuration management plan is used throughout the product life cycle and its use is not only limited to the project life cycle of the project.

Let me know if this resolves your confusion.

Warm regards,

Khurram

Excellent clarification..! Thanks