Configuration Management

Configuration management consists of managing the technical description of a system, as well as managing all changes made during the evolution of the system.

It is the set of processes to ensure the conformity of a product to the requirements, throughout its life cycle.

In computing, for example, configuration management can be used for many purposes.

  • To store and trace the different versions or revisions of any information intended to be used by a system (hardware, software, document, unit data, etc.).

  • To deploy configurations through a computer park in the form of files and data.

  • Manage source codes …

Products

Allows to define product and sub-product.

Allows to link components to product.

Product configuration screen

Product configuration screen

Description

Required fields Required File legend

Field

Description

Id

Unique Id for the product.

Required File Name

Name of the product.

Required File Product type

Type of product.

Designation

Trade name of the product known outside the company.

Customer

The customer the product should be delivered to.

Prime contractor

The contact, into customer organization, who will be responsible for the product delivery.

Responsible

Person responsible for the product.

sub-product

Name of the top product if this product is a sub-product.

Required File Status

State to be registered.

Closed

item is closed if checked

Description :

Box checked indicates the product is archived.

Treatment

You can create many links between products, product versions and component

Project linked to this product

Possibility of attaching the products of the list to projects.

When you link a project to a product, all versions of this product are going to be linked.

The start and end date corresponds to the duration of this link.

Composition

List of sub-products and list of components used by this product

See: Relationships.

Structure

You can display 2 ways to display the structure. Normal and flat.

Display the product structure

Normal display the product structure

Box checked “Show versions for all structure” allows to display versions of sub-products and components.

Box checked “Show projects linked to versions” allows to display projects linked.

Display the product structure box checked

Display the product structure with the boxes checked

Product Versions

Allows to define versions of a product.

Allows to link a component version to product version.

Allows to link the product version to a project.

Ability to define the compatibility between product versions (feature activated through a global parameter)

Automatic formatting of version name

Possibility to define if the version name is automatically produced from the product name and version number.

Set Global Parameters to activate this feature.

Else, the version name will entered manually.

By profile, possibility to have a different list of the version of the original product according to the status.

Description

Product version description

Product version description

Required field Required File legend

Field

Description

Id

Unique Id for the version

Required File Product

The product on which the version applies

Required File Version number

Version number of the product

Required File Product v° type

Type of the product version: major, minor, patch

Name

Name of the version

Prime contractor

The contact, into customer organization, who will be responsible for the version delivery

Responsible

Resource responsible of the version.

Sart date

Initial, planned and real start dates of the version

Delivery date

Initial, planned and real delivery dates of the version

Entry into service

Initial, planned and real entry into service date of the version

End date

Initial, planned and real end dates of the version

Required File Status

State to be registered

Description

Complete description of the version

Version number & Name

The field “Version number” appears only if the global parameter “Automatic format of version name” is set to Yes.

The field “Name” will be read only.

Prime contractor

The field “Prime contractor can be different from product prime contractor.

Entry into service (Real)

The field “Entry into service” specify the date of entry into service.

The box “Done” is checked when the real date field is set.

End date (Real)

The field “End date” specify the date end-of-service.

The box “Done” is checked when the real date field is set.

Components

Allows to define product components.

Allows to define products using the component.

Possibility to define component types and component versions that will only be used for definition of structure (not for Version Planning or Tickets)

Component

Component details

Description

Required field Required File legend

Field

Description

Id

Unique Id for the component

Required File Name

Name of the component

Required File Component type

Type of component

Identifier

Another name to identify the component

Responsible

Person responsible for the component

Required File Statut

State to be registered

Closed

Box checked indicates the component is archived

Description

Complete description of the component

Component versions

List of versions defined for the component.

Component versions are defined in Component Versions screen.

Component Versions

Allows to define versions of a component.

Allows to link a product version to component version.

Component version details

Component version details

Automatic formatting of version name

Possibility to define if the version name is automatically produced from the component name and version number.

Set global parameters to activate this feature.

Else, the version name will entered manually.

Description

Required field Required File legend

Field

Description

Id

Unique Id for the version

Required File Component

The component on which the version applies

Required File Version number

V° number of the component

Required File Component V° type

Type of the component version: major, minor or patch

Name

Name of the version.

Responsible

Name of the responsible.

Start date

Initial, planned and real start dates of the version

Delivery date

Initial, planned and real delivery dates of the version

Entry into service

Initial, planned and real entry into service date of the version

End date

Initial, planned and real end dates of the version

Required File Statut

State to be registered

Description

Complete description of the version

Note

Initial Date

when the planned date has been set, the initial date (if it is empty only) will be defined

Version number & Name

The field “Version number” appears only if the global parameter “Automatic format of version name” is set to Yes.

The field “Name” will be read only.

Entry into service (Real)

The field “Entry into service” specify the date of entry into service.

The box “Done” is checked when the real date field is set.

End date (Real)

The field “End date” specify the date end-of-service.

The box “Done” is checked when the real date field is set.

Relationships

product and component elements

Allows to manage relationships between products and components to define product structure.

See possible relationships: Product structure

Relationships management

  • Click on Add to create a new relationship. The dialog box “Structure” appear.

  • Click on Delete to delete the corresponding relationship.

Dialog box - Structure

Structure

versions of products and components

Allows to define links between versions of products and components.

Note

Only with the elements defined in the product structure.

Link management

  • Click on Add to create a new link. The dialog box “Version Structure” appear.

  • Click on Delete to delete the corresponding link.

Dialog box - Version structure

Version structure

version to projects

This section allows to manage links between projects and versions of products.

Link version to projects management

  • Click on Add to create a new link.

  • Click on Button edit to update an existing link.

  • Click on Delete to delete the corresponding link.

Dialog box - Project-Version link

Project / Version Link

Project-Version link dialog box

Field

Description

Project

The project linked to product version or the project list.

Product

Product linked to the project or the list of products.

Version

Product version linked to the project or list of product versions.

Start date

Version start date (Planned start date).

End date

Version end date (release date on the version).

Status

State to be registerd

Closed

Box checked indicates the link is not active anymore, without deleting it.

Versions planning

Select one or more product versions and the planning version is displayed.

This planning displays each version of selected product versions and their components from define start date to deliverable date.

To use it define your start and delivery date in Product Version and Component Version.

Note

To insert values you have to activate display the start and delivery milestones’ in global parameters otherwise these fields are hidden.

This screen allows to see if the delivery date of Component versions is more later than their Product versions.

Graphically, you can see any delay or incompatibility.

Planning version

Planning version

Display options

Click on New to add an activity. Click on Filters to filter the version display.

Show options

Version planning options

Click on Show activities from product version or Show activities from component version To display the related activities.

New check boxes will appear: one to show resources and the other to show or hide versions with no activity displayed.

You must select an existing activity to insert the new activity into the WBS structure.

If no activity is selected then the “add new element” icon will be grayed out.

The new activity is automatically inserted after the selected activity.

The new activity is generated on the same project, with the same component, the same component version, and with the same product and the same product version if these elements are filled in on the original activity.

The insertion from the selection of a product and component version will not be possible because we do not know where to insert it in the WBS of the projects.