ANSI/EIA-649, "National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management", is an industry standard for
configuration management
Configuration management (CM) is a management process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. ...
.
Overview
ANSI/EIA-649 was developed in 1994, when the
Electronic Industries Alliance
The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA; until 1997 Electronic Industries Association) was an American standards organization, standards and trade organization composed as an alliance of trade associations for electronics manufacturers in the ...
’s (EIA) G-33 Committee on Data and Configuration Management (CM) initiated a task to develop an industry Configuration Management (CM) standard.
Their goal was to address overall requirements, principles, and best practices in configuration management
[Mil-HDBK-61B "Military Handbook: Configuration Management Guidance" September 2002, pg 1-1](_blank)
/ref> without mandating the use of specific terminology or approaches on how Configuration Management (CM) should be implemented in any particular environment.[ ANSI/EIA 649-B Configuration Management Standard," SAE International, 2013/ref>
Instead, this document provides a standardized definition and explanation for Configuration Management (CM) while also providing the rationale for the various CM processes.] This, along with its neutral terminology, allows the standard to be applied in a variety of environments - governmental, industrial, and commercial.
In addition to standardizing the understanding of Configuration Management (CM), EIA-649 provides a rational basis upon which to apply good judgment in both planning for and executing CM across the enterprise. The knowledge contained in EIA-649 is intended to assist in establishing, performing, and/or evaluating CM systems.[ AE ANSI/EIA-649B "Configuration Management Standard" 2011/ref>
ANSI/EIA-649, along with all updated versions to this standard, defines and explains the five primary functions or elements of configuration management: CM Planning, Configuration Identification, change management, status accounting, and verification & audit.]
ANSI/EIA-649B is currently owned by SAE International
SAE International is a global professional association and standards organization based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. Formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, the organization adopted its current name in 2006 to reflect bot ...
, a U.S.-based, globally active professional association and standards organization for engineering professionals in various industries. It was formerly owned by TechAmerica, previously Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA).
EIA-649's International Standardization
EIA-649 is considered to have International Standardization implication, as determined by EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance
The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA; until 1997 Electronic Industries Association) was an American standards organization, standards and trade organization composed as an alliance of trade associations for electronics manufacturers in the ...
)["National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management" August 1998, pppl.gov] and TechAmerica, both of which are US-based trade associations.
EIA-649 is an internationally recognized consensus standard. EIA standards and TechAmerica standards, such as ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private nonprofit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organiz ...
/EIA-649B, are designed to serve public interest by eliminating misunderstandings between manufacturers & purchasers, facilitating interchangeability & improvement of products, and assisting purchasers in selecting & obtaining proper products.
Reasons to use ANSI/EIA-649
This standard states that when configuration management principles are applied using effective practices, return on investment is maximized and product life cycle costs are reduced. When CM is effectively and consistently applied, it provides a positive impact on product quality, cost, and schedule by ensuring consistency of a product's performance, functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information. The essence of configuration management has universal applicability across the broad spectrum of commercial and government enterprises. This standard provides an understanding of what to do, why a customer/supplier should do it, and when it is necessary to tailor the application of CM functions. This standard fulfills the important function of providing a rational basis upon which to apply good judgment in both planning for and executing CM across the enterprise.
Role in the US DoD
EIA-649 was adopted for use by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in February 1999, replacing Mil-Std-973. Even though the US DoD has 649 called out as a guidance document in their contracts, EIA-649 is currently used in both commercial and governmental environments since the authors of EIA-649 tried not to express preference for any particular set of terms or terminology
Name changes
As of February 7, 2019, the current version of ANSI/EIA-649 is 649C, "Configuration Management Standard".
* SAE ANSI/EIA-649C
* SAE ANSI/EIA-649C "Configuration Management Standard"
* ANSI/EIA-649-C-2019
* SAE ANSI/EIA-649B
* SAE ANSI/EIA-649B "Configuration Management Standard"
* ANSI/EIA 649-B-2011
* TechAmerica EIA-649-B (June 2011)[TechStreet: "TechAmerica EIA-649-B Configuration Management Standard" accessed June 2015](_blank)
/ref>
* TechAmerica EIA-649-A (April 2004)
* TechAmerica EIA-649 (August 1998)
* ANSI/EIA-649-1998 "National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management"
* ANSI/EIA-649
* EIA-649
* EIA649
About EIA-649-1, -2 and future "Dash" series
SAE EIA-649-1, “Configuration Management Requirements For Defense Contracts”, was released in November 2014.[ EIA-649-1 Configuration Management Requirements For Defense Contracts,” SAE International, 2014/ref> This is a defense-specific, stand alone "supplement" to EIA-649B that provides requirements specific for Defense contracts, such as placing tailored configuration management requirements on Defense contracts.] 649-1 is not a replacement for SAE ANSI/EIA-649B.
SAE EIA-649-2, “Configuration Management Requirements for NASA Enterprises”, was released in April 2015. This companion standard is needed to provide a resource that standardizes Configuration Management (CM) requirements specific to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agreements and design activities. This Standard provides a template of CM requirements and user guidance for tailoring the requirements for each unique use case. This standard has been revised to incorporate content changes proposed by the G33 Committee that were not included in the original release.
There have been rumors that other organizations, such as the FAA, will come out with their own "dash" series to supplement 649B as well.
Resources
SAE EIA-649C
- Configuration Management Standard
References
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Configuration management
American National Standards Institute standards