[ISTQB] 5.4 Configuration Management (K2)

Configuration management is a discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes to those characteristics, report change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance with specified requirements.

LO-5.4.1 Summarize how configuration management supports testing (K2)

Configuration management establishes and maintains product integrity (components, data and documentation) of the software/system through the project and its life cycle.

Configuration management is necessary for managing version control of the software under test, its requirements, which environment has been used, what are the related licences required. 

There are several process in configuration management which support testing:

• configuration item identification: which is identification of all objects allowing version control.
• configuration control: which is maintenance of configuration items over time.
• status accounting: which is the status of a configuration item based on recording and reporting.
• configuration auditing: which is any controls and processes put in place and followed in order to allow the configuration item to reflect its characteristics.

Changing requirements and consequently specifications (test basis) involve test documentation updates for reflecting and controlling the change when testing. 

Configuration management procedures have to be taken in account during test planning process.