What Issues Does the ITIL Training for Configuration Managers Tackle?

A central idea involved in understanding the role of configuration managers is the concept of baseline. This is defined as the point from which anything can be measured. In terms of configuration, the baseline essentially consists of the minimum permissible values as efficiency output of any of the processes contained in the management system.

The input for the process consists of its (1) resources, the (2) methods used to work on these resources, the (3) parameters imposed on these resources (usually measured in terms of quantity, intensity or duration) and the (4) business rationale for processing the resources. Once the output is rated lower than the minimum, a deficiency in the system is noted. It is the task of the configuration manager to identify these undesirable results and the configuration errors that led to it.

A classic example of inadequate output is when you try to play graphics intensive RPG online games on a notebook using a low-speed microchip. The quantity of graphics data fed to that system is beyond its normal capacity to process. As a result, the display will be choppy and slow. And if you persist in playing, the system may eventually crash and turn black and blue.

To account for that deficiency, one or more of the ingredients fed to the process has to be reassessed. Usually, the program or system will need to be reverted to development mode for adjustment. In the case of the notebook, a control (error trapping) will have to be programmed into the system preventing users from running graphics-intensive programs on it.

In the context of the ITIL, the configuration manager participates significantly in the testing phase of the software. Therefore, the functions of the release and configuration managers interlap. More precisely, the duties of the configuration manager are a subset of those of the release manager because configuration errors are only one of the problems which may crop up during testing.

A configuration manager will have to be an expert in data systems and hardware capabilities. He will also need to be experienced in the validation of the input to the system. Given the physical limitations of any system, certain limits have to be imposed on the amount of data that it should be fed at one time.

For the purpose of outlining clearly the adjustments that have to be made in the program, a configuration manager should keep a continuous record of the output while the program is being tested. In case inadequate output should emerge, it will be easy for the programmers to pinpoint the code in the program that needs to be adjusted.

In summary, the configuration manager coordinates closely with the release manager in the testing of the software or application. He sets the baseline below which output efficiency is considered an indication of a faulty system. The baseline does not concern processing of data alone. Factors like cost feasibility and scheduled finish dates should be measurable in terms of the baselines established for cost-efficiency and timely execution.

Although the configuration manager's scope is small compared to the other types of ITIL practitioners, his duties are of critical significance for the system.