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Enterprise Configuration Management Process
Organization: Document No:
Department: Revision: 0.1
Section: Sheet: 1 of 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 and Audit............................................................................................................................5
4. Service Providers..............................................................................................................................................5
5. Governance..........................................................................................................................................................5
Enterprise Configuration Management Process
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1.1
Document No: Sheet: 2 of 5
Revision No: Issue Date: xx-xxx-xx
Enterprise Configuration Management Process
1. Process Overview
Configuration Management is 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 information, enabling effective control and uptime of the
services.
Configuration Management roles and responsibilities can be broad given the breadth of CIs in the
enterprise. There should be one accountable party (i.e., Process Owner), one or more responsible
parties (i.e., Process Managers), and many users and consumers of the Configuration
Management Database (CMDB). The corresponding RACI document will reflect these roles in a
more granular manner.
1.1 Purpose / Objective
The purpose of Configuration Management is to control, identify, record, and report IT
components, including versions (where 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 lifecycles which are:
Owned and operated by the organization
Owned and operated by third-parties (or external service providers) where technology
services are supported
Document No: Sheet: 3 of 5
Revision No: Issue Date: xx-xxx-xx
Enterprise 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 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 CMDB. Each
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Enterprise Configuration Management Process
CI Class (or type) will have a unique set of attributes. Lastly, the Planning stage determines the
data requirements for the stakeholders.
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 baselines 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 the CMDB
Provision of documentation for configuration management and external audits
Management of configuration item document library in CMBD
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 manages
drift within acceptable limits. Change Management will tie any changes to baselines 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 more 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.
Document No: Sheet: 5 of 5
Revision No: Issue Date: xx-xxx-xx