Configuration management and change management are related terms, and many professionals do not understand the difference between these concepts.
Change management is a well-known term in project management, but configuration management is not. In the IT field, the term “configuration management” is used frequently, so if you are not in this industry, you may face issues understanding the concept.
Change management involves managing changes related to project management plans, processes, and baselines. Configuration management involves managing changes related to product scope.
While both are part of integration management, change management and configuration are different and used for different purposes.
Insights from a study by the Project Management Institute (PMI) underscore the impact of mature Change Management practices, with 94% of organizations meeting or exceeding project objectives and 78% reporting a decrease in failed changes.
Configuration management deals with changes in deliverables or products.
According to a 2023 survey by the International Association of IT Asset Managers (IAITAM), robust Configuration Management practices have proven instrumental, yielding an 82% improvement in security, a 67% reduction in downtime, and a staggering 92% enhancement in regulatory compliance.
Let’s delve deeper into it.
What is Change Management?
According to the PMBOK Guide, “Change Control is focused on identifying, documenting and controlling changes to the project and the project baselines.”
In change management, you manage the changes related to the project scope, planning, and baselines.
For example, if you run out of money and need additional funding to complete the project, then you will raise a change request for additional funds, or if you cannot complete your project within the specified time frame, then you will raise a change request for a time extension.
Change management analyzes the change request for any possible impact on any other project objectives. Afterward, the request is either approved or rejected.
The change management system must identify and analyze all parameters for any possible impact to minimize disruption.
If the change request is approved, you will update the concerned baseline and project documents and inform the concerned stakeholders.
Change Management Activities
During change management, you will perform the following activities:
- Identify the changes.
- Prepare proper documentation for the changes.
- Review, analyze, and decide on the change request.
- Ensure that the request is implemented, registered, and communicated.
Change management plays a key role in the project’s success. Data from a survey by McKinsey & Company reveals that companies with effective Change Management are 1.5 times more likely to outperform their peers who do not follow the change management processes.
Change Management Conditions
Change management conditions can include:
- Schedule Delays: You must develop a new schedule that reflects the current situation.
- Overbudget: You must develop a new cost estimate to complete the project.
What is Configuration Management?
According to the PMBOK Guide, “Configuration Control focuses on the specifications of both the deliverables and the processes.”
In configuration management, you manage the changes related to the product specification and the process.
For example, suppose you are developing a product, and the client requests to add some extra features.
Since this change is related to product configuration, you will deal with it by using the configuration management system. The configuration management system documents how you will monitor and control changes. It allows you to define configurable items (e.g., products, services, results, and components) and control any changes to these items.
The configuration management plan keeps version control of the product. Here, you can keep a log of all the changes made to any product version for review.
Configuration Management Activities
During configuration management, you will perform the following activities:
- Identify the configurable items.
- Record and prepare a report for all configurable items.
- Verify and conduct an audit of all configurations as per the requirements.
Configuration management has a key role in building the right product correctly. A study by Gartner highlights that effective Configuration Management can lead to a 30% reduction in operational costs.
Configuration Management Conditions
Configuration management conditions can include:
- Market competition is forcing new features on the product.
- The project took so long that the product is obsolete, so an update is required.
- The client requested that you add some extra functions.
- The project went over budget, so some features are being removed from the product.
- The project needs to be completed early, so some features are being removed from the product.
The Difference Between Change Management and Configuration Management
Change management and configuration management do not compete for the same space. They are used for different purposes.
The main difference between change management systems and configuration management systems is that change management systems deal with project processes, plans, and baselines. In contrast, configuration management systems deal with product specifications.
Any change in product configuration will also affect the project scope, and you will update your project plans, cost, and schedule baselines.
Configuration management has a larger scope than change management.
Examples of a change management system include additional funding requirements or a schedule extension. In contrast, an example of configuration management can be an extra feature added to the product.
A Real-World Example of Change and Configuration Management
Suppose you are working on a project to construct a school building with 10 classrooms.
Case Study #1
During the middle of the project, your contractor for steelwork walks off the job, and you have to find a replacement. You find an alternative, but the new contractor will not start working on your project for a week.
This will delay the project. Therefore, you must raise a change request for a one-week schedule extension through the change management system.
Once this request is approved, you will update your schedule baseline.
This is an example of the change management system.
Next, we’ll look at an example of the configuration management system.
Case Study #2
You are constructing a school building, and the client requests that you increase the number of rooms from 10 to 15.
This request is to change the product scope as the client has altered the product configuration.
Earlier, the school building had 10 rooms, and now it will have 15. Your product’s specifications have changed; therefore, you will handle this change under the configuration management system.
In the first case, you raised the change request to increase the project deadline by one week. There was no change to the product; the change was only needed in the schedule baseline. The school building was the same, but you will transfer this building to the client one week later.
Who Can Raise and Approve a Change and Configuration Request?
Any project team member can raise a change request, but the request must be approved by a higher authority, as mentioned in the configuration or change management plan.
A higher authority can be a Change Control Board (CCB), Project Management Office (PMO), or any other stakeholder mentioned in the project management plan.
If the client is not involved in the process, their consent is required to implement the change request.
Regarding a configuration request, it comes from the client as it involves a change in the product.
The project manager reviews this request and then forwards it to the higher authority for their review and approval. An agreement from the client is required because they have to pay for any additional features.
Summary
Change management and configuration management are part of integration management. Both deal with all project and product changes. Change management includes changes related to the project plan, process, and baselines, while configuration management includes changes related to the product scope.
Change requests are required when baselines are established, and you must change them. If the baselines are not set, no formal change request is required. Change requests and configuration requests are part of the integration management system.
Change management and configuration management are the most important concepts on the PMP exam, and you will see many questions about them!
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
Hello Fahad,
Thank you for your well thought out article.
I like your definitions, and seems correct; and certainly one way to interpret the PMBOK. But, part of the problem (and why you have written this article and folks like me and rest of your readers look for clarification), is that the PMBOK very much makes it all a fuzzy deal. Your definition is good and makes perfect sense—it’s what I’d also espoused to: Configuration has to do with Product; Change has to do with Project docs, baselines, processes, etc. But there are contradictions.
And, as I’ve tried to make sense of it in my own head in studying PMBOK (as you know PMI has “THEIR definition” of things, not always the same as “Organization/Company lambda’s”), there are some contradictions in PMBOK, and thus in your own definitions above—which are indeed direct out of PMBOK. You say that “Change Control” is about “Project stuff” — Project Documents, Baselines and Processes ; and “Configuration Control” as Product/Scope related (“Product Stuff”). Yet, you then correctly quote PMBOK that ““Configuration Control focuses on the specifications of both the deliverables and the processes” (i.e., note PROCESSES).
Further on, you point again to the contradiction when you quote PMBOK: “Configuration control is focused on the specification of both the deliverables and the processes (i.e., note PROCESS!), while change control is focused on identifying, documenting, and approving or rejecting changes to the project documents, deliverables, or baselines” (note DELIVERABLES!). Thus not in line with your stated interpretation / defintition.
Another interpretation (that I’ve enountered) is that Change Control is the process of changing Project “Artifacts” (Project document, plans, process, deliverables, baselines – in short, everything that is under control): the written change requests, the Change Control Board, voting, approval / rejections, etc. And that Configuration control is the versioning, identification of “current version”, archiving of old versions, etc. of all “Project Artifacts” (Artifacts covering both “Project Stuff” like docs & processes and “Product Stuff”, like deliverables). This is the one espoused by Rita Mulcahey (her PM book). This interpretation also has problems and contradictions with some of the same definitions (and others) of Change Control (and Change Mgmt) and Configuration Control (and Config Mgmt) that is found in PMBOK.
All this to say: PMBOK was written by a lot of folks and then “Controlled” over its various authors and chapters to ensure overall integrity. But there remain unclarities and contradictions – and I believe this is one. They seem to clear these up with new versions of PMBOK, but others appear. All this said, your definition is a good one – and one that I have always thought was true. Now I am beginning to wonder. Having read around and now studying for PMBOK — and thus trying to understand “How does PMBOK define this” – because as stated earlier PMBOK definition is not always same one’s “real world” definition. That’s okay, it’s just not okay with they are not clear and there are contradictions in their method. Thanks. Great article. If you can or in position to dialogue with them– tell PMI to clarify their defintiions! Look forward to your feedback.
Change Management” is the first category. Here you manage changes related to project management plans, {processes}, and baselines.
According to the PMBOK Guide 6th edition, “Configuration Control focuses on the specifications of both the deliverables and the {processes}.”
I don’t understand how the 2 terms dealing with{ process }
kindly clarify it.
Hello Anas,
Change management is a subset of configuration management.
Does the Configuration Management, lead to raise a Change request in Project Management ?
Below are same 2 examples used in here, to help you understand, what I am trying to convey.
Example 1
During the middle of the project, my contractor for steel work walks off the job and I have to find a replacement. I found an alternative, but the new contractor will not start working on the project for a week.
This will delay the project. Therefore, I will raise a change request for a one-week extension of the schedule through the change management system.
Example 2
Now, I am constructing a school building and the client requests that I have to increase the number of rooms from ten to fifteen.
This is a request to change the product scope as the client has altered the product configuration.
I will handle this change under the configuration management system because here the specifications of the product have changed. Earlier the school building had ten rooms, and now it will have fifteen rooms.
However, building additional 5 rooms will take more time than building 10 rooms, planned earlier. Hence, my schedule will also change as a result effecting my baseline, and so I have to raise a change request.
Please let me know if my understanding is correct !
In both cases, you will raise a change request.
Dear Fahad,
Can you please provide a reference to this from PMI..?
If you have access to the PMBOK Guide 5th edition, you can refer to page 532.
This article is very good. It helps me to get clear about Configuration management and Change Request.
So, I would like to confirm about our project.
My project is to build the Window with blue color. But in executing, The window was painted with blue color. After that the stakeholder changed the color to yellow.
So, this should be managed by Change management or Configuration Management.
Because it impacts to schedule, cost and product specification.
Please explain.
Thank You so much.
This is the change in the specification, so configuration management.
Hello Fahad,
Please Read this sections from the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition, and then correct your answer and please also try to understand it well. What you are saying about configuration management and change management isn’t True at all.
“Configuration management plan:
Describes how the information about the items of the project (and which items) will be recorded and updated so that the product, service, or result of the project remains consistent and/or operative.
“Change control should be applied once the first version of a deliverable has been completed. The control of the multiple versions or editions of a deliverable (e.g., documents, software, and building blocks) is supported by configuration management tools and procedures.”
“Before the baselines are established, changes are not required to be formally controlled by the Perform Integrated Change Control process. Once the project is baselined, change requests go through this process. As a general rule, each project’s configuration management plan should define which project artifacts need to be placed under configuration control. Any change in a configuration element should be formally controlled and will require a change request.”
“Configuration management activities such as: how changes will be initiated; how impacts will be analyzed; how they will be traced, tracked, and reported; as well as the authorization levels required to approve these changes;”
Thank you.
Hello Shady, though more technical details can be added to this blog post, the points discussed here are valid.
Hi Fahad, i also have same question above that why change management is a subset of configuration management instead another way around. Is there any reasoning behind?
Also have another question which made me confuse,
Ques: project manager doing quality check for steel bolts of 20 cm. The acceptable control limits are 19.955 cm and 20.045 cm. The measurements made at the end of the process yielded the following results : 20.033 cm, 19.982 cm, 19,995 cm, 20.006 cm, 19.970 cm, 19.968 cm, 19.963 cm, 19.958 cm, 19.962 cm, 19.979 cm and 19.959 cm. What should be done?
I always think if control limits are good why we need to frther investigate the process? Is it not control limits are typically similar like tolerances (except prior is defined by PM and later by customer.)
Thanks
Sumit
Configuration management has larger scope as compared to change management.
Control limits are set by project manager to control the process and if anything goes outside of it, he will check if everything is right though the project is within acceptable range.
Thanks Fahad for your explanation,but one question, according to your explanation, configuration is mainly for product and change is mainly focus on baseline and project plans, so i see that at many points they will be meet together, like for scenario 2 when u need to change the number of classrooms from 10 to 20 now yes that change in the product, but to meet that product you will need to change the plans as well, so in that scenario we will pass by both configuration and change, correct me if im wrong
Thanks again
In short, change management is a subset of configuration management.
Any changes in the project management plans and all its subsidiary plans and baselines requires to be updated through change control process and have it approved. Then do all project documents would need to go through the change control process before updates can be made? e.g. stake holder register or risk register or requirement documents. Can these by updated without going through a formal change control process and approval? Can the PM make the changes without some else’s approval?
These are the project document and supposed to be updated all the time throughout the project lifecycle. They do not require to go through this process.
Then are all project documents treated the same way? There is a list of documents in the PMBOK guide page 78. Besides the obvious ones like performance data and issues/change log/forecast etc, all others can be updated without a formal change control approval?
As per my understanding – yes.
I find a similar article on linkedin, and it is matching word by word. You can have a look at it:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/configuration-management-system-vs-change-bsc-pmp-pmi-rmp-tot-
The guy has copied my content and posted there. I have filed a copyright infringement notice with LinkedIn.
Thanks Amit for letting me know.
Dear Fahad, Thanks for your great explanation, But I’m still little confused about the configuration management system.
Let’s take your instance ( Increasing the number of classrooms from 10 to 15), That’s great.
You said that any chang to the project processes or baseline is considered as a change management system, So in the previous instance ,when we decide to increase from 10 to 15 , I think this change affects directly the scope of the project, which is in turn one of the project baseline.
So, in my opinion, this will be under the change management system.
Waiting for more information,and thanks in advance.
Change management is a subset of configuration management.
The change management plant defines the process for managing changes on the project.
The PMBOK Guide fifth edition, page: 138
Are Configuration Management and Change Management differing from Configuration control and change control?
In the PMBOX Guide fifth ed. Says: Configuration control is focused on the specification of both the deliverables and the process while you mentioned In the Configuration Management System, changes related to product specification are managed.
Thank you.
Please refer page 532, the PMBOK Guide 5th edition.
Dear Fahad,
Your work is impressive. But could you clarify Saad’s doubt? I share it too.
Documenting changes in scope/configuration of the product (deliverable) is configuration management
Documenting change in processes/cost baseline/schedule baseline is change management.
Is this understanding correct? If yes, pg. 96 of PMBOK 5th ed. says “Configuration control is focused on the specification of both the deliverables and the process “. How come configuration control is focused on specification of the process? This is description of change control right?
I feel there is some discrepancy between the definition of configuration management mentioned in these two places.
Anyway, I’m going to write a mail to PMI, let’s us see their reply.
Yes we should. Kindly update us.
Tauseef, I agree with your assessment: “Change management may act alone, [but] the configuration management has to take change management along”.
Also based on how PMBOK 5.6.1.1 – Control Scope describes Configuration Management Plan, it seems the plan itself defines what specifically *is* configurable (and therefore, in which cases the configuration control is applicable).
I only happened across this blog because one of my PMP Certification Exam Prep study questions asserted that Configuration Management “does NOT take the place of a Change Management System, but rather works with it”.
Hi,
Please can you tell me what is different between :
Change management plan & change management system
Also configuration management plan & configuration management system
Thank you very much
Imad
Basically you are asking the difference between plan and system.
Plan is something documented which guides you in your act. System is something that helps you implementing your plan.
Hope it helps.
Hi Fahad
I read your post about change management and configuration management . I still have some concerned about all this term.
Configuration management and change management system
Change management plan and change control system
Can someone gives me more explanation and difference between these four terms with example it would be nice
Thanks in advance for you contribution to my understanding
best regard
Hi Fahad,
Can we say Configuration management is scope change and change management is shcedule change?
Thanks
Ramesh
Configuration management is scope change – Yes, we can say this.
And Change Management includes the change in schedule and cost baselines.
i dont think so because changing scope will add a new scope and new related spécification. but configuration is concerned by changing spécifications to an existing scope. so i think changing scope is concerned with change management system and not configuration management system
Yes, you are right, if there is change in product scope then we can say it will be managed through the configuration change management system.
As Nedhir said, if there is scope change, it should be considered as change management. Like the school example, if the color of the classroom is changed from green to yellow, then this should configuration change