Why is Configuration Management so hard to implement and embed in an organization? Over the years I have been involved in various implementations of different aspects of Configuration Management. One thing that stood out was how difficult it is to get buy-in, to get real traction to implement the needed improvements, and to make them stick. This is not just my experience, I have heard this from many Configuration Management professionals. These people are passionate, have grit and perseverance to keep trying to move the needle in the right direction. And it is worth it!
With Configuration Management, it is more complex.
When you want to improve the capability of mechanical engineering, you only have to get buy-in from mechanical engineers. You start with a few early adopters and start building from there. But if you want to improve the capability of Configuration Management, you need to get buy-in from an entire organization as you will impact multiple functions across the organization. That means your cause needs to appeal to a lot of different people with different backgrounds before you can start.
“It’s the ability to trust what you’re eating is good it’s the ability to know when you start your vehicle in the morning and you get on the road your brakes are going to work it’s the ability to know when you board a plane that it’s gonna stay in the sky that’s why these things are so important to me”
Configuration Management is the ability to trust:
- trust that the food you give your children is safe. Recently excessive levels of lead were found in baby food.
- trust that when you get in your car, it will keep you safe. Remember the GM’s Ignition Switch with 124 deaths.
- trust that when you board a plane, it will not fall out of the sky. Remember the Boeing’s 737 Max 8 with 346 deaths
- trust that an oil rig will not explode and contaminate the ocean. Remember BP’s Deepwater Horizon with 11 fatalities and unparalleled economic and ecological damage.
- and many more…
The value of Configuration Management
My challenge to the community for 2024
How can we help each other to elevate the position of Configuration Management? Feel free to reach out to me directly or leave a comment.
Header Photo (cropped) by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Hello Martijn. Thanks for this holistic explanation. Configuration Management is a subject that its impact and worth become tangible over time for those who does not know its scope at the beginning. From my point of view, there are so many overlapping processes in companies that are expected to be deployed in line with the new trends or different function needs, due to this situation, employees resist every new process and they are overwhelmed. Maybe we could start minimalism in processes as well that enable to simplify the entire picture…
Thanks Hatice,
I fully agree. Often we just seem to add new processes or extensions or new checklists, but we never remove them.