We’ve addressed the challenges you will have on your project if you do not have a CM Plan, but even with a CM Plan, there are still some remaining pitfalls that you need to be on the lookout for:
- Not following the plan—One of the first things to go when the realities of the project hit is execution of the CM Plan. There are two things you can do to help make sure the CM Plan is executed:
- Use an independent auditor (such as a QA Lead) and include the CM activities as part of the quality review process.
- Make sure to include the CM activities in the WBS and project schedule.
- Tool difficulties—As stated before, configuration management tools should be leveraged whenever possible, and in some cases, they are absolutely mandatory. That being said, the proper use of these tools is not automatic. If you are going to use a tool, you need to make sure the right team members are trained on how to properly use the tool, and you need to verify that the tool works correctly.
The Absolute Minimum
At this point, you should have a solid understanding of the following:
- The benefits of properly managing project work products include increased productivity (by avoiding lost work), enhanced professional credibility, audit-proofing your project, and increased customer satisfaction.
- The principles of managing project work products are identification, protection, and tracking…and, of course, CYA.
- The CM Plan documents the processes and procedures that will be utilized to ensure that project work products are protected and changes are controlled.
- Like other elements of the project, make sure stakeholders understand the value of the CM Plan and are properly trained on how to use the process.
- Make sure your backup recovery procedures work correctly before you actually need them.
- Consider web-enabled configuration management tools for virtual project team environments.
- For other helpful information on IT configuration management, check out CMCrossroads.
The map in Figure 12.3 summarizes the main points.
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