FOREWORD Configuration Management (CM) is the s p e d name that has been coined to describe those specialized management practices used by industry and the Department of Defense @OD) to define and control items (sometimes refmed to as Configuration Items or CIS) in their inventories. The overail intent of configuraton management is to support the establishment of a product service network for all items being developed and to assure the continued serviceability of the item as changes are made throughout their service We. The configuration of an item is de?ned in both hctionai and physical terms. Functional requirements establish the pdormance the item is expected to achieve; the physical requirements define the specific design and appearance of the item to be built. In practice@ an item being developed is described@ and its development governed@ primarily by its intended fiinctionai. characteristics. Following development@ however@ an item being Droduced for customer use is primarily described and governed by its phvsicai characteristics@ although the functional characteristics continue to be controlled. The practices we foliow with configuration management are nothing starhg or brand new. Basically@ they are common sense management concepts that have been formalized into set practices to address the peculiarities of managing large inventories of units in multiple product lines. For convenience sake in describing the practices@ CM is divided into four functional areas: identification@ audits@ control@ and status amounting. Each of the four functions has a specific purpose and a specific area of emphasis.