ABSTRACT
A fundamental process of product development is configuration management. Configuration management systems help to deliver coordinated software and hardware. Any modification to the product would require another voyage through the total process to ensure that we met all of the requirements for change management. Configuration management should be applied to design and test specifications, models, simulation, hardware, software, the combination of hardware and software, and system integration. The truth is that configuration management should be applied to just about anything where uncontrolled or unaccounted-for change has a negative impact on the product and delivery. According to Military Standard 973 and Military Handbook 61, there are four requirements for a configuration management system. Hardware configuration management is accomplished through the part number system and the associated bill of materials. The part number may include a revision level in the designator or may be an individual part number with each new iteration.
