Configuration Management Books & Seminars

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Capture and control your DESIGNS!

Get rid of obsolete SYSTEMS!

Learn how to install and use 21st Century BUSINESS SYSTEMS, PROCESSES and TOOLS!

Save TIME!

Save MONEY!

Configuration Management (CM) today is a struggle, both for those who are trying to impose some degree of control over the design, production and support phases of programs and for those who are trying to resist CM in a misguided attempt to save time and money.

Each element of CM, i.e., Identification, Configuration Control, Status Accounting, and Audits is inexorably linked to and interwoven with Engineering design methodologies plus Quality Assurance inspections and audits and Manufacturing production processes, no matter how simple or complex the program, and is thus integral to the process.

Tradeoffs exist every step along the way. These tradeoffs involve cost versus control of the design and visibility into how the hardware and software products relate to the design at any given point in time. Manual, labor intensive CM activities involving baseline capture and control with change approval and incorporation processes employing multiple forms, databases and meetings induce images of wasteful, expensive pillaging of program coffers to Program and Functional Managers.

Thus proposals are often trimmed of CM-related quotes and activities even before the program or project begins. This usually results in additional costs down the line from excessive changes to the design package, non-conforming hardware, repairs to or reworking of the product hardware and software, and failures experienced in product performance after delivery to the customer.

Take heart, though. Help is on the way!

For each specific CM activity, we will first examine the conventional, classical CM as it is practiced today in large businesses and corporations. Next we will implement, in a step- by-step manner, those processes necessary to achieve our ultimate goals. Many companies are in some stage of learning about new, automated CM processes or have begun an earnest foray into the procurement of a Product Data Manager (PDM) system to solve their problems. We will learn how to get to that state in a safe and sane manner. Automated CM is the way to go but much must be said before the plunge is made. I believe that by addressing the key CM issues presented in this book and by applying the procedures and guidelines defined herein, your business can reap the rewards of an effective control system and sound risk mitigation techniques.

The journey we will take on our road to excellence in CM will follow a route with a few twists and turns in it but the course is set and the direction is true. This easy to follow "how-to" guide is designed in such a way as to enable you to implement, in a cost effective manner, practical Configuration Management solutions for your business for the Twenty First Century.

Chapters 1 through 8 will provide you with the "best CM practices" for today's business environment. These chapters cover the basics of CM, and describe how CM ought to be practiced in businesses of all sizes. Current CM methodology is discussed and then the evolution to a practical, effective and ISO-compliant CM methodology is presented as near-term and long-term solutions.

Chapter 9, supplemented by Appendices B, C and D, will provide you with the complete process for the planning, implementation and integration of a PDM system in your business.You will also learn how to integrate the "best CM practices" presented in Chapters 1 through 8 into your business processes. You will be aided by numerous detailed Figures. Chapter 10 will then summarize these CM "best practices" and the PDM planning, implementation and integration processes in Template format so that you can tailor your new CM system to your specific program requirements and so that you can be assured that you haven't missed anything along the way.

Appendix A will provide instructions for writing an effective CM Plan for today's and tomorrow's business environments. Appendices B and D will provide valuable insight into the complexities of PDM system implementation and integration via "questions and answers" and "lessons learned". Appendix C will guide you through the process of evaluating and selecting PDM products and third party tools. It will also guarantee that you cover all the bases by showing you how to fill in the unique PDM tool and vendor Templates provided therein.

I will attempt to be brief but not skip anything important. By the time you finish this book, you will be able to plan a CM program sized to your business and be ready to construct detailed Templates to assure the achievement of your CM goals.