Develop > Processes and Best Practices Guide > Configuration Management Workflows > Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting (process ST 3.4)

Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting (process ST 3.4)

Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting ensures that all configuration data and documentation are recorded as each CI progresses through its life cycle from test to production to retirement. Configuration information should be kept current and made available for planning, decision making, and managing changes to the defined configurations.

Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting keeps track of the following CI status changes:

  • New items received (as evidenced by a goods receipt procedure or from development)
  • Installation of items
  • Transition from test to production
  • System down (based upon events)
  • Retired or disposed items
  • Lost or stolen items
  • Unauthorized CIs and Version changes of CIs

Current and accurate configuration records should be maintained to reflect changes in the status, location, and versions of CIs. The history of each CI must be maintained. Changes to CIs are tracked through various states, such as ordered, received, in acceptance test, live, under change, withdrawn, or disposed.

Where required, configuration information should be accessible to users, customers, suppliers, and partners to assist them in their planning and decision making. For example, an external service provider may make configuration information accessible to the customer and other parties to support the other service management processes in an end-to-end service. Archiving procedures should be defined for data related to retired or disposed CIs.

Configuration Management reports should be available to all relevant parties. The reports should cover the identification and status of the CIs, including their versions and associated documentation. A large set of different reports are needed for the different stakeholders (for example, audit reports, software compliance reports, and charge back reports).

Details for this process can be seen in the following figure and table.

The Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting workflow is illustrated in the following figure:

Configuration Status Accounting and Reporting process

Process ID

Procedure or Decision

Description

Role

ST 3.4.1

Review CI update

Modifications of key attributes of the CI are logged in the history log and verified. During Configuration Identification and control activities, configuration status records are created. These records enable key changes to be visible and traceable. CI attributes that can be logged include:

  • status (for example, system down)
  • version number
  • serial number
  • installation date
  • audit status (for example, missing or lost)
  • removed from a contract

Critical CI changes are logged with entries for reason, date stamp, time stamp, and person recording the status change.

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.2

Key policy change?

Determine whether the policy must be reviewed or validated, based on the documented Configuration Management policies (and policies related to finance, procurement, Contract Management, and security).

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.3

Inform stakeholders of policy change?

Specific changes must be reported to the stakeholders. These include:

  • Procurement
  • Finance (for example, by linking to the general ledger)
  • Contract Manager

Verify that the event must be reported. If not, go to ST 3.4.5. If yes, continue with ST 3.4.4.

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.4

Inform stakeholders

Inform stakeholders of the event (for example, the Contract Manager when an asset is included in the contract, or procurement when an item is received). Examples of events that should trigger stakeholder notification include:

  • Received and accepted items
  • Installation of the asset (for example, for depreciation start date)
  • Lost or stolen item
  • Retirement or disposal of an item (for finance)

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.5

Validate CI update

Confirm that all relevant status data documented in the CI is complete and correct, according to Configuration Management policies derived from agreements, relevant legislation, and standards.

Ensure that the status change or version update is a result of an authorized change.

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.6

Exception detected?

If the CI update or CI details are not correct or complete according to the Configuration policies, continue with SO3.4.7.

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.7

Create exception report

Create a new incident (see SO 2.1.11).

Configuration Auditor

ST 3.4.8

Review report request

The Configuration Administrator reviews the request for Configuration Management information.

Configuration Administrator

ST 3.4.9

Standard report?

Configuration Management has defined a number of standard reports (for example, overview of CIs in stock or by status). If this is a standard report, continue with ST 3.4.12. If not, go to ST 3.4.11.

Configuration Administrator

ST 3.4.10

Collect data for status reports

Periodically, Configuration Management procedures provide reports for the different stakeholders, such as financial asset managers, contract managers, or procurement.

Configuration Administrator

ST 3.4.11

Configure CI report

If a standard report does not exist, the Configuration Administrator creates a query to select the data to display from the CMS.

Configuration Administrator

ST 3.4.12

Run CI report

The report or query is run against the database. The data is collected in a standard format.

Configuration Administrator

ST 3.4.13

Distribute report to stakeholders

Provide the requested data to the stakeholders. Close the request (if applicable).

Configuration Administrator