11.1 Introduction

Configuration simply refers to the arrangement of the parts or elements of something, and management refers to the act or practice of managing. By combining both words, it could be stated that configuration management is simply the act of managing the arrangement of parts of an item, product, or system. References [1] define configuration management as a discipline for providing a systematic mechanism for planning, identifying, controlling, and accounting for the status of an item or system's configuration, from its birth to death.

The history of configuration management may be traced back to the 1950s when the professionals involved with the missile launch program found that prototype units were in orbit and there was poor documentation of changes made to the unit in question, specifically part number identification records [4]. In 1962, the U.S. Air Force released a document entitled "Configuration Management During the Development and Acquisition Phases" (AFSCM 375-1) and revised it 2 years later [5]. Also in 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a similar document entitled "Apollo Configuration Management Manual" (NPC 500-1) [6]. In 1965, the U.S. Army materiel command released AMCR 11 26, another document on configuration management. In 1967, the U.S. Navy issued its own document on configuration management (i.e., NAVMATINST 4130.1).

In the latter part of the 1960s, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert B. MacNamara issued a directive calling for a single system of configuration management for all three services [1]. Consequently, in 1968, the Department of Defense released a...