Configuration Management: ICSA or PICSAR

It is generally accepted that configuration management consists of 4 components: identification, control, status accounting and auditing. However, while working on an introductory presentation about configuration management, I came across the activity of writing a configuration management plan. But what is a plan without any planning? In other words, you not only plan what you're going to do, but also when, how often, who's going to do it, etcetera.

Another issue is the factor is that a software development project is a finite enterprise. Once the goal has been established, the project ends. This also applies to configuration management, so there must be an end to configuration management. For configuration management the activities end as soon as the final result has been established, i.e. releasing.

In other words, wouldn't configuration management consists of 4+2 components?

• Planning
• Identification
• Control
• Status Accounting
• Auditing
• Releasing

I wonder what the acronym PICSAR really stands for... ;-)

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