Configuration Management
Configuration Management (CM) is the engineering discipline that identifies, documents, controls, and audits the configuration of a product across its lifecycle—establishing and maintaining product baselines and governing the process by which changes are assessed, approved, and incorporated.
In context
In a defense program, CM establishes a PDR (Preliminary Design Review) baseline that locks the requirement set and top-level design; every subsequent Engineering Change Request is assessed against that baseline, recorded in the CM system with rationale and impact, and the as-built configuration record delivered at program completion must match the contract baseline. The CM audit trail is what allows a program office to answer "what exactly is in unit 47?" years after delivery.
Why it matters
Configuration management is crucial for PLM professionals and manufacturing engineers as it ensures that changes to products or designs are properly tracked, documented, and propagated across all relevant systems and stakeholders to maintain product integrity and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Related concepts
External References
This term appears in
- What is Thread-Centric PLM?
- Digital Thread, Safety Culture, and the Lessons of the 737 MAX
- What is PTC Windchill? The Enterprise PLM Platform
- PLM vs PDM: What's the Difference, and Which One Do You Actually Need?
- 5 Configuration Management Myths That Undermine PLM Implementations
- What is PLM? A Plain-English Definition for 2026
Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “Configuration Management.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/configuration-management