Configuration

Management

Process Training
Mission Statement and Process Scope
Mission Statement
„ Provide a logical model of the infrastructure or a service by
identifying, controlling, maintaining and verifying the versions of
Configuration Items (CIs) in existence.

„ Provide critical information about how those CIs are related, and
in what manner they facilitate or impact the delivery of IT
Services.

Scope
„ The scope of this process includes hardware, software,
documentation, and Configuration Items that support the identity
management services.
 Goals
Goals

„ Account for all IT assets and configurations within the

organization and ITS services

„ Provide accurate information on configurations and their

documentation to support all other Service Management
processes

„ Provide a sound basis for Incident Management, Problem

Management, Change Management and Release Management

„ Verify the configuration records against the infrastructure and

correct any exceptions
Current Process State & What
Changed
„ Configuration data is currently contained in individual sources
prior to a CMDB with limited accuracy and relationships
between data sources.

„ Goal is to have a shared, accurate data source with defined CI

relationships.

„ RFC’s are required to update the CMDB.

„ Audits and Verification are used to keep data current.

Process Worker Roles &
Responsibilities
„ Process Worker is a role, adapted by any IT staff member,
vendor or contractor whose (daily) activities involve the integrity
of Configuration Items (CI).

„ Comply with ITS Configuration Management policies, processes

and procedures

„ Enter in the CMDB approved modifications to Configuration

Items (CI) resulting from their activities within other ITS
processes such as Change, Release, Incident, and Problem
Management
Process Worker Roles &
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Use the CMDB to manage attribute and relationship data for CIs
through their lifecycle; inclusive of procurement, deployment,
repair, removal and disposal activities

„ Identify and report any deviation detected in the IT infrastructure

from the status and/or configuration as registered in the
Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

„ Escalate process issues to Local Process Coordinator

Local Configuration Coordinator
Roles and Responsibilities
„ Ensure that the ITS Configuration Management policies,
processes, and procedures are followed within their department
through coaching of the Process Workers in the correct use of
the process and tool

„ Act as a project resource to coordinate the initial identification

and population of Configuration Items (CI) into the CMDB for
their department

„ Assist in the design and development of detailed implementation

data models within their functional areas

„ Ensure the process, procedures, work instructions, and tools are

optimal from a departmental/section point of view
Local Configuration Coordinator
Roles and Responsibilities (continued)
„ Ensure Process Workers within the section have the knowledge
to execute their tasks; propagate the correct use of
Configuration Management procedures within the department;
identify specific training needs within the department, and signal
these needs to the Process Manager

„ Escalate Configuration Management issues to the Process

Manager when required

„ Identify improvement opportunities within the department

„ Help define and maintain Configuration Item (CI) naming and

numbering conventions
Local Configuration Coordinator
Roles and Responsibilities (continued)
„ Support compliance to Configuration Item (CI) registration
procedures within their department

„ Within their department, assist with audit and verification

activities against the Configuration Management Database
(CMDB) to ensure changes are recorded and authorized
Configuration Manager Roles and
Responsibilities
„ Provide senior management and other processes with guiding
information about the capabilities and direction of the
Configuration Management Process within ITS

„ Ensure that the process operates effectively and efficiently

within ITS

„ Ensure that employees filling Configuration Management Roles

are empowered to meet their process responsibilities

„ Monitor and control the process, using qualitative and

quantitative Key Performance Indicators
Configuration Manager Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Produce management information reports relating to the
Configuration Management Process

„ Ensure the coordination and provisioning of Configuration

Management Process training

„ Identify opportunities and submit proposals for improvement

with respect to tools, staff, training, process, procedures and
work instructions for the Configuration Management Process

„ Periodically audit/review the process and provide feedback to

Configuration Management Process Owner. Ensure periodic
audit/review occurs with feedback to the Configuration
Management Process Owner
Configuration Manager Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Ensure the Configuration Management Process interfaces are in
tune with other processes through proper liaison

„ Manage Configuration Management team

„ Oversee the planning and execution of CMDB population;

manage and ensure maintenance of the CMDB, tools and
interfaces to federated sources

„ Oversee migration of local Configuration Management data

sources to CMDB

„ Ensure the documentation and maintenance of organization-

wide Configuration Management Process, data, and system
architecture, including federated sources
Configuration Manager Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Perform configuration audits to check that the physical IT
inventory is consistent with the Configuration Management
Database (CMDB) and initiate any necessary corrective action

„ Lead efforts to design and develop detailed data models for

populating the CMDB

„ Participate in the Change Advisory Board as required

„ Number, record, store and distribute Configuration Management

issues

„ Develop and manage Configuration Management standards,

plans, registration procedures, access controls and privileges
Configuration Manager Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Coordinate the implementation of the process into the
operational environment

„ Communicate changes and improvements to the Configuration

Management Team

„ Perform all staffing activities for the Configuration Management

Team

„ Nominate Configuration Management staff eligible for training

when and where needed
Process Owner Roles and
Responsibilities
„ Define the Business Case for the Configuration Management
Process

„ Ensure the Configuration Management Process is fit-for-

purpose

„ Review and approve scope of Configuration Management

Process, including items that are to be controlled and
information that is to be recorded

„ Review and approve interfaces with other service support

processes (Change, Incident, Problem, etc.) and administration
functions

„ Approve the implementation of the process into the operational

environment
Process Owner Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Set the process Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

„ Safeguard the integrity of the process

„ Review, prioritize and assess proposed changes to the process;

initiate improvements in the tool, process, steering mechanisms
and organization

„ Promote the Service Management vision to top-level/ senior

management

„ Assist Configuration Manager when recruiting Configuration

Management staff

„ Attend top-level management meetings to asses the impact of

organizational decisions on the Configuration Management
Process
Process Owner Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Communicate with the relevant Process Owners when there are
conflicts between inter-related processes

„ Provide strategic direction

„ Develop and Manage the Continuous Improvement Plans for the

Configuration Management Process
Tool Administrator Roles and
Responsibilities
„ Safeguard access to the CMDB and ensure the integrity of the
Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

„ Provide the functional design and support of the Configuration

Management Database (CMDB)

„ Assist in the identification of Configuration Items (CI)

„ Provide reports on the status of Configuration Items (CI)

„ Assist in conducting audits

„ Manage the CMDB data model and system architecture,

including federated sources
Tool Administrator Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)
„ Participate in the development of detailed implementation data
models as required

„ Perform regular maintenance on the Configuration Management

Database (CMDB) i.e. backups, archiving, system tuning

„ Provide technical support to system end users

Process Engineer Roles and
Responsibilities
„ Develop, coordinate and provide process and tool training

„ Identify opportunities and initiate proposals for correction and

improvement with respect to tools, staff, training, process,
procedures and work instructions

„ Periodically audit/review the process and provide feedback to

Process Manager

„ Liaison with other Process Managers to refine process touch

points

„ Develop processes to manage migration of local Configuration

Management data sources to CMDB
Process Engineer Roles and
Responsibilities (continued)

„ Document and maintain organization-wide Configuration

Management Process and procedures
Policies – Naming Convention
„ Every CI registered in the CMDB requires a unique name.

„ The CI name given to a CI remains with it throughout its

lifecycle.

„ The CI name reflects the type of CI it represents.

„ The CI Name is only one of many CI attributes that can be

searched in the CMDB to assist in the execution of other
processes such as Incident, Change, and Problem
Management.

„ Common names for components such as ‘HOSTNAME’, will

not be replaced by the CI Name, but will be registered as an
attribute of the CI.
Policies – Naming Convention (continued)

„ Wherever possible, CIs will have their CI Names affixed to a

visible label on the device or embedded in the firmware or
software.

e.g.; Server_[serial number] , Service_[ITS service name]

Policies – Attributes
„ An Attribute is a characteristic of a CI.

„ Every CI Kind has defined required attributes.

„ Attributes can be added or changed at different points in the CI

lifecycle.

„ Meaningful information from the CMDB is dependent on the

correct attributes and relationships recorded in the database.
Policies – Minimum Attributes
Minimum Required Attributes Description
All Categories
Category Hardware, Virtual Entities, Software, etc.
Description Free form details
Instance ID CI ID
CI Name Follows CI naming convention
Type Server, Virtual Server, Manual, COTS, Vendor,
etc.
Environment (not BMC definition) Production, test, development, spare inventory
Status Ordered, received, tested, in service, archived,
etc.
Status Effective Date Status Effective Date (current status effective
date)
Source Developed in-house, purchased, etc.
Owner Organization Organization that is responsible for CI
Owner Contact Contact within Organization that is responsible
for CI
Policy-Relationships
„ Relationship is a type of Attribute.

„ Relationships connect two or more CIs together.

„ Relationships support Incident and Problem Management

impact analysis activities.

„ They also support Change and Release Management risk

assessment activities.
Policies – Attributes, Relationships
CI Relationship Description

CMDB Relationships Parent/Child, Upstream,

Downstream, Peer to Peer, etc.
Customer Association Relationship of CI or CI grouping
to Customer(s)
Process Interfaces Bidirectional links to Change,
Problem, Release, Incident
tickets
High Level Process Work Flow
Interfaces To Other ITIL Processes

„ Configuration Management touches/supports other process

„ CIs have attributes & relationships that may be added or

modified by RFC, as approved by Change Management

„ Incident & Problem records may modify CI status

„ Reports accounting for CI status provided on routine basis or

adhoc as required by all processes

„ Audits of the CMDB are generated from inputs from any process
High Level Process Work Flow
„ It is important to recognize that this process is not always
executed in a linear fashion.

„ Depending on circumstances, the process may start at any of

the four activities listed below and in the High Level Process
work flow.

CI IDENTIFICATION: Ensure CI correctly identified, labeled, recorded in CMDB

CI CONTROL: Ensure update of CI records in CMDB reflect authorized changes

CI STATUS ACCOUNTING: Reporting of all current / historical data of all CIs

CI VERIFICATION AND AUDIT: Verify / audit to estimate reliability of CMDB and

to detect & correct errors and / or exceptions
Procedure - 1.0 Identification
Procedure - 1.0 Identification (continued)
„ The acceptance of Configuration Items (CI)

„ The categorization of Configuration Items (CI)

„ The labeling of Configuration Items (CI) (when needed)

„ The registration of Configuration Items (CI) in the Configuration

Management Database (CMDB)
Procedure - 2.0 Configuration Control
Procedure - 2.0 Configuration Control
(continued)

„ The control activity of the Configuration Management process is

to manage any modifications in Configuration Item (CI) statuses,
relationships and attributes driven by changes and/or incidents.
Procedure - 3.0 Status Accounting
Procedure - 3.0 Status Accounting
(continued)

„ Track status of CIs through CI lifecycle

„ Generate standard reports based on templates in the tool

„ Generate Ad-hoc Status Report

Procedure - 4.0 Verification and Audit
Procedure - 4.0 Verification and Audit
(continued)

„ Periodic audits of the IT infrastructure

„ Operational verification of Configuration Item (CI) records from

the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) to the actual
IT infrastructure

„ The improvement of the Configuration Management process on

the basis of detected major exceptions

„ The escalation of unauthorized changes

„ The reconciliation of the Configuration Management Database

(CMDB) in cases of detected exceptions
Interface With Other ITS Processes
„ Configuration Management touches/supports other process

„ CIs have attributes & relationships that may be added or

modified by RFC, as approved by Change Management

„ Incident & Problem records modify CI status

„ Reports accounting for CI status provided on routine basis or

adhoc as required by all processes

„ Audits of the CMDB are generated from inputs from any process
Key Performance Indicators & Metrics
„ Key Performance Indicators quantify Critical Success Factors to
measurable targets with a number of Key Performance
Indicators existing per Critical Success Factor

„ Performance Management KPIs are defined as Key

Performance Indicators that pertain to the outcome of the
process.
„ e.g.; Improved speed of component repair and recovery
(decrease of MTTR)

„ Process Management KPIs are defined as Key Performance

Indicators that provide an indication of the quality of the process.
„ e.g.; Reduction percentage in number of CI discrepancies
found
Data Model Development

„ Data Model is a diagram of a service and sub-

services showing hardware and all relationships

„ Involves the creation of logical CI records that

describe the IT service or a decomposition of such
into various systems and sub-system records that
feed up to the high level service

„ Local Process Coordinator provides input into the

creation of the data model for the service they
support
Data Model Development (continued)
„The Data Model follows the following high level model.
CI Types
Logical
CI Types
Physical
Bring Services/Systems into CMDB
„ Identify Service and Stakeholders

„ Identify Physical CIs and Logical CIs

„ Create Detailed Data Model

„ Create New CI Kinds

„ Identify Current Data Repositories

„ Provide Process and Tool Training

„ Populate CI Data and Construct Relationships

Bring Services/Systems into CMDB
(continued)

„ Populate CI Data and Construct Relationships

„ Establish Baseline for Service

„ Communicate Availability of Service within CMDB

Process Issue Reporting & Management
„ Contact Configuration Management Process Engineer (CMPE)

„ CMPE will validate process issue

„ CMPE will escalate to Configuration Manager if needed with

recommended changes

„ Configuration Manager will decide if process changes are

needed
Benefits
„ Increasing service availability

„ Increasing control of valuable CIs

„ Facilitating adherence to legal obligations

„ Improving Risk-Impact Analysis of Changes

„ Contributing to contingency planning

„ Improving security by controlling the versions of CIs in use

Benefits (continued)
„ Enabling the organization to reduce the use of unauthorized
software

„ Enabling Analysis of Costs

„ Streamlining Changes

„ Streamlining communications
Challenges

„ Strict adherence to procedures to maintain accuracy

„ Providing sufficient audits to discover inaccuracies

Question & Answers