Achala IT Solutions

Configuration Management Process

Organization: Document
No:
Department: Revision: 0.1
Section: Sheet: 1 to 5

Table of Contents

1. Process Overview……………………………………………………………………....3
1.1 Purpose/Objective…………………………………………………………….….….…3
1.2 Scope…………………………………………………………………………………...3
2 Configuration Management Process…………………………………………………...4
2.1 Configuration Management Process Flow…………………………………………......4
3 Configuration Management Lifecycle…………………………………………….…...4
3.1 Configuration Management Planning………………………………………………….4
3.2 Configuration Identification………………………………………………………...….5
3.3 Configuration Control………………………………………………………………….5
3.4 Configuration Status Reporting………………………………………………………....5
3.5 Configuration Verification Audit………………………………………………….…….5
4 Service Providers.............................................................................................................5
5 Governance......................................................................................................................6
 Configuration Management Process

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1.1
 Configuration Management Process

1. Process Overview

Configuration Management is a foundational to the Service Management organization. It

ensures that all Configuration Items (CIs) supporting IT Services are accurately identified,
and relationships recorded, the status of the CIs and modifications are effectively recorded,
tracked, and reported and changes to CIs are controlled.

Configuration Items (CIs) are any assets that need to be managed to deliver a service. CIs that
Should be under the control of Configuration Management include Hardware, Software,
Systems, Services, Applications, their relationships, and associated or related documentation.
(e.g., Service Level Agreements). Configuration Management establishes and maintains the
integrity of services and their configuration enabling effective control and uptime of the
services.

1.1 Purpose / Objective

The Purpose of Configuration Management is to control, identify, record, and report IT

components including versions (wherever appropriate), constituent components, states, and
most importantly, relationships to other technology components and services.

The Configuration Management process carries out and is governed by the Configuration
Management Policy.

1.2 Scope

The Scope of Configuration Management includes the Configuration Items throughout their
respective lifecycle which are:

 Owned and operated by the Organization

 Owned and operated by third parties (or external Service Providers) where
technology services are supported.
 Configuration Management Process

2. Configuration Management Process

2.1 Configuration Management Process Flow

The below process flow shows the cycle of the lifecycle. Notice how the output of one stage
is the input for the next. Further, the output from the Configuration Verification and Audit
stage is input for the Configuration Management Planning stage as a mechanism for
continuous improvement.

Configuration
Management Planning

Configuration
Identification

Configuration Control

Configuration Status
Reporting

Configuration Verification
and Audit

3. Configuration Management Lifecycle

Configuration Management Lifecycle consists of five stages listed above each with specific
deliverables and outcomes.

3.1 Configuration Management Planning

A Strategy must be developed to define the scope and objectives of a configuration management
process, plus the CIs (and their respective attributes) that shall be tracked within the configuration
management database. Each CI class (or type) will have a unique set of attributes. Lastly, the
Planning stage the data requirements of the stakeholders.
 Configuration Management Process

3.2. Configuration Identification

This stage identifies, defines, and documents the classes of CIs under the control of Configuration
Management, the CI naming conventions, attributes, relationships to other CI types, data integrity
rules, and requirements and design documentation.

This lifecycle stage includes the following:

 Identification of applicable configuration items and their respective attributes.

 Establishment of baseline for control; maintenance of versions and revisions

identification of approved configuration documentation of the physical and functional
characteristics of the item or system.

 Creation of CI records in CMDB

 Provision of documentation for configuration management and external audits

Management of configuration item document library in CMDB.

3.3. Configuration Control

This stage ensures that all CIs – and their respective relationships and statuses – are recorded
accurately throughout each CI lifecycle. It leverages the configuration baselines and managers
drift within the acceptable limits. Change management will tie any changes to baseline to
Change records.

3.4. Configuration Status Reporting

This lifecycle stage makes CI information available to authorized requestors. The information
ranges from detailed CI attributes and relationships to summarized information for reporting.
Status is one of the important attributes as it denotes whether the CI is live in production or
retired. The key to success is regular reporting as the CMDB data is used in the other service
Management processes.

3.5. Configuration Verification and Audit

This stage ensures that CI information matches the physical reconciliation data, that naming
conventions are adhered to, and that all accurate and secure repositories agree with the CI
information. The audit is performed regularly, as stipulated by the Configuration Management
Plan, or as requested by the Configuration Manager or other authorized personnel.

4. Service Providers

All internal and external service providers must use this same process. It is imperative that
there is just one Configuration Management process to protect the CMDB data .

5. Governance
The CMDB and Configuration Management Policy, Plan, and Process will be governed by the
Configuration Control Board (CCB). The CCB should have a broad representation from
stakeholders to ensure the CMDB and respective supporting Policy, Plan, and Process produce
the desired results, including metrics, reporting and integrations.

The CCB is a vital ingredient in the success of the Configuration Management process.
Further, the CCB should be established first, then govern how the supporting documentation is
delivered.