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In the previous edition of How Do YOU CM2?, we talked about Impact Analysis and why it is often skipped.
๐ One of the main reasons? Itโs not always easy to do.
If you canโt find the data or understand the dependencies, how can you perform a proper impact analysis?
๐ This is where the ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ comes into the picture.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐.
It’s the gateway to all the single sources of truth. You can see how it was connected, how it is connected, and how it will be connected.
Letโs unpack that.
Imagine trying to forecast the weather without satellite imagery or historical data. Youโd be guessing. Thatโs what performing Impact Analysis without a CM2 Baseline is like: guesswork in the dark.
๐ก A proper ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ turns Impact Analysis from a painful process into something as easy as looking up the weather forecast.
When implemented correctly:
– You gain full visibility across product, process, and people interdependencies.
– You make decisions based on truth, not assumptions.
– You prevent rework, cost overruns, and unnecessary delays.
๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐:
Your team needs to implement a critical design change. Without a robust CM2 Baseline, you’d spend countless hours manually tracing dependencies, sifting through disparate systems, and crossing your fingers that you haven’t missed anything. This isn’t just inefficient; it’s risky. A missed dependency can lead to costly rework, delays, compliance nightmares, and even product failures.
๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐:
But with a well-implemented CM2 Baseline, the process transforms. You have immediate visibility into every impacted and affected item, every dependent dataset, every stakeholder. You can instantly understand the ripple effect of any change, empowering you to make informed decisions. This isn’t just about speed; it’s about precision, control, and significantly reducing risk while remaining agile.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ?
๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ฌ are the secret ingredient combined with knowledge graph technology.
You most likely already identify your parts, datasets, and link them in one way or another. So the hard part is already done! Some links can even be inferred with some basic logic. While this information currently resides in multiple application databases, you can create a knowledge graph that connects all of it in one graph, which represents your CM2 Baseline.
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to performing Impact Analysis? And how has your organization leveraged (or struggled with) baselines to overcome this?
Share your insights in the comments below! Let’s elevate the conversation around effective Configuration Management.
Check out the other How Do YOU CM2? posts.
Copyrights by the Institute for Process Excellence.