What is configuration management in manufacturing?

Configuration management is a comprehensive systems engineering process. Its goal is to establish and maintain consistency for a product’s performance, functional, and physical attributes as dictated by its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. The systematic approach of configuration management involves checking that all aspects of a product or system remain aligned with the original specifications and intended functionality, from conception to decommissioning.

This glossary page will refer to configuration management in manufacturing and physical product lifecycle management (PLM) where .it is fundamental to execute changes, transfer of engineering information to manufacturing, perform field maintenance, and analyze operational feedback. Other uses of the term often refer to configuration management for an IT system (such as cloud storage). However, we refer to configuration management here as manufacturing companies employ it within a PLM framework.

 

The history of configuration management in manufacturing

While the term ‘configuration management’ is commonly associated with software today, its origins can be traced back to the manufacturing industry. It was first used to manage complex products and systems, with a notable application during World War II for maintaining precise control over aircraft specifications.

As products, manufacturing processes, and maintenance procedures grew more sophisticated in the post-war era, industries like aerospace, defense, and automotive adopted configuration management to ensure the consistency and reliability of their products. In the 1960s and 1970s, formal configuration management practices arose, influenced heavily by military standards such as MIL-STD-973. This set the groundwork for modern configuration management processes.

New standards emphasized identifying, controlling, and auditing product configurations to maintain quality and compliance. Over time, configuration management principles were integrated into various international standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 10007, further solidifying its role in manufacturing.

Today, configuration management is recognized as an indispensable practice across numerous industries. It ensures that products are developed, manufactured, maintained, modified, and even sunsetted in a controlled manner.

 

How configuration management works in manufacturing

Below are the critical steps involved in configuration management:

Identification

This first step involves establishing the initial state of the starting configuration items (CIs), sometimes referred to as baseline. These are starting configurations that mark significant stages in a product’s development, serving as anchors for further development and change management. Configuration items include all relevant data, such as hardware, software, documentation, and other components that define a product’s structure, specifications, and operational instructions. Proper identification ensures each CI is uniquely referenced and easily traceable throughout its lifecycle.

Control

Change management is at the heart of configuration control. This process involves systematically evaluating, approving, and implementing design choices and later changes to be sure they align with overall project goals, involve all affected items, and avoid introducing unforeseen issues. Effective configuration control helps prevent unauthorized modifications and makes communicating and recording changes across all relevant teams significantly simpler. This step is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the product and ensuring all changes are reversible if necessary.

Status accounting

This component involves formally recording and reporting the current status of configuration items, any associated change requests and all items impacted by these changes. Status accounting provides transparency, allowing all stakeholders to understand the current state of the product and its components at any given time and the impact of proposed changes. It includes detailed records of:

• who made changes
• what changes were made
• when they were made
• why they were made

This status is essential for tracking progress, managing configurations, and maintaining accountability.

Audit

Configuration audits verify that configurations comply with specified requirements and that all changes have been implemented correctly. Audits can be functional (to make sure the product meets its intended use) or physical (to confirm the product matches its target configuration). These reviews help identify discrepancies, validate the effectiveness of configuration management processes, and verify the product remains consistent with its design and operational requirements.

 

Benefits of configuration management

Configuration management offers a range of benefits, including improved product quality, better traceability, regulatory compliance, and reduced costs. These advantages underscore the value of a robust configuration management process in ensuring the consistency and reliability of products.

• Improved quality: Configuration management ensures that all products and systems are consistent, reliable, and built to specified requirements. By maintaining rigorous controls and thorough digital record, organizations can detect and correct errors early, leading to higher-quality outcomes and reducing the risk of defects and rework.
• Better traceability: Configuration management provides a clear, digital traceability of all changes and their impacts, making it easier to trace issues all the way back to their original source. It is a key element of a digital thread. This traceability is crucial for diagnosing problems, understanding a product’s evolution, as well as tracking and justifying all modifications. Better traceability also facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards.
• Regulatory compliance: Configuration management helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 10007, by formally recording all processes and changes. Compliance with these standards indicates a commitment to quality and can improve market access, customer confidence, and competitive advantage.
• Reduced costs: Organizations can avoid costly errors and rework by maintaining a clearly referenceable process. Effective configuration management minimizes the risk of non-compliance, improves product quality, and streamlines development processes, leading to significant cost savings over the product lifecycle. Additionally, it reduces the likelihood of expensive recalls or product failures.

 

Configuration management: modern industrial applications

Configuration management is critical in various industries today because it helps people verify that complex systems and products are developed, maintained, and modified in a methodical manner. Any sector with stringent safety, compliance, and precision requirements is a good candidate for configuration management. Some example industries include:

• Aerospace
• Defense
• Automotive
• Medical devices

These are just a few examples of modern industries that embrace and benefit from configuration management in manufacturing and product lifecycle management. There are, of course, many others.

 

Risks of not employing configuration management

Just as there are many benefits of using configuration management in manufacturing, on the flip side, there are several potential risks of not employing it — or not being stringent in adhering to configuration management protocols. These include:

Inconsistent product quality

With strong configuration management, maintaining consistency in product quality becomes easier. Variations in components, materials, and assembly processes can lead to problematic discrepancies in the final product, resulting in higher defect rates and reduced reliability.

Compliance issues

Manufacturing industries must often adhere to strict regulatory standards such as ISO 9001 and industry-specific regulations. Failure to implement configuration management can lead to non-compliance, risking fines, sanctions, and damage to the company’s reputation. Moreover, non-compliance can result in product recalls, which are costly and can erode customer trust.

Inefficient change management

In the absence of configuration management, managing changes to product designs, components, or processes becomes chaotic. Uncontrolled changes can introduce errors, disrupt production schedules, and lead to costly rework. Without a systematic approach to change management, tracking and verifying modifications is difficult, which can compromise product integrity and safety.

Increased production costs

Lack of configuration management can result in higher production costs, too. Unplanned changes and inconsistent processes can lead to waste in terms of materials and labor. Plus, the inability to trace issues back to their source can also prolong problem-solving efforts, further driving up production costs.

Poor traceability

Configuration management provides a clear record trail of all changes and their impacts. This makes it easier to trace a product’s history and identify the root cause of issues. However, this lack of traceability can hinder problem resolution, extend downtime, and negatively impact productivity.

Reduced collaboration and communication

Effective configuration management ensures that all stakeholders have access to the most up-to-date information. Without it, miscommunication and lack of coordination among teams can occur, leading to errors and delays. This is particularly critical in complex manufacturing environments involving multiple teams and suppliers.

Risk to safety and reliability

As mentioned above, product safety and reliability are paramount in industries like aerospace, defense, and medical devices. Without configuration management, the risk of introducing errors and inconsistencies increases, potentially leading to catastrophic failures. Ensuring all components and processes meet stringent safety standards is essential, and configuration management plays a crucial role in achieving this.

Difficulty in scaling operations

As manufacturing operations grow, managing product configurations becomes more complex. Strong configuration management processes make scaling operations while maintaining quality and consistency easier. Configuration management enables organizations to manage large volumes of data and configurations, facilitating smoother expansion and adaptation to new market demands.

 

Additional configuration management insights from ISO 9001 and ISO 10007

ISO 9001 and ISO 10007 provide guidelines for implementing effective configuration management processes within an organization.

Key insights include:

• ISO 9001: This standard emphasizes the importance of a formal procedure for approving, reviewing, and updating records. It ensures that all information is legible, identifiable, and retrievable and that the current revision status is clearly indicated. The standard also mandates the control of external documents and the prevention of the unintended use of obsolete documents.
• ISO 10007: This guideline focuses on formally recording and providing complete visibility of a product’s present configuration and the status of its physical and functional requirements. It outlines critical processes such as configuration identification, control, status accounting, and audit, emphasizing the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date information throughout the product lifecycle.

Configuration management II model

The configuration management II model (CMII) enhances ISO 9001 by providing a more complete configuration management framework that integrates all elements into a cohesive unit. The model focuses on accommodating change and maintaining information integrity by formally recording and controlling all configuration items. Key components of the configuration management II model include:

• Requirements Management
• Change Management
• Release Management
• Data Management
• Records Management
• Process Control
• Library Management

To learn more, check out our
White Paper: Configuration Management and ISO Quality Management

 

Aras capabilities in configuration management

Aras Innovator® provides a well-established and proven platform for configuration management that includes:

Comprehensive configuration management support

Aras Innovator facilitates the entire configuration management process, from identification and control to status accounting and audit. It supports all aspects of configuration management to help maintain consistency and reliability during product development, manufacturing and field maintenance.

Flexibility and scalability

Aras’ configuration management solution is designed to be easily adapted to the unique needs of various industries and to scale with an organization’s growth. It offers flexibility in managing multiple configuration items and processes, making it suitable for small and large enterprises.

Integrated change management

Aras helps effectively manage change, highlighting the potential impact of changes on the related items prior to their actual implementation. This integration allows organizations to maintain control over their configurations and avoid unintended consequences.

Real-time collaboration

The Aras platform enables teams to collaborate in real time, ensuring everyone works with the most up-to-date information. This feature enhances communication, reduces errors, and improves the overall efficiency of the configuration management process.

 

Configuration management equals better compliance and higher product quality

Sturdy configuration management processes ensure the consistency, reliability, and quality of products and systems throughout their lifecycles. By implementing top-notch configuration management practices, organizations can improve traceability, enhance regulatory compliance, reduce costs, and ultimately deliver higher quality products to market.

Aras Innovator provides comprehensive support for configuration management, helping organizations manage their configurations. With insights from ISO 9001 and ISO 10007 and enhanced by the configuration management model, Aras’ configuration management solution is a proven solution for meeting the needs of modern enterprises across various industries.