ISO 10007 provides guidance on configuration management across the life of products and services. Configuration management keeps the identity, approved characteristics and changes of relevant items understandable. It connects what should exist with what actually exists, supporting controlled decisions when components, documents or service arrangements change.
The Quality Management Standards Explained: ISO 9001, ISO 9004 and Related Frameworks places this topic in its wider QMS context. The public ISO record identifies ISO 10007:2017. A document revision is part of the picture but may not describe the complete product or service configuration.
Define the decision and its boundary
Configuration management concerns the identity and approved state of relevant products or services and the information describing them. The relationships between items matter as much as individual revision labels. A changed component may affect an instruction, interface or delivered arrangement. Define the boundary so the organisation can determine what should exist and recognise a discrepancy in the actual state.
Choose configuration boundaries proportionate to the consequence and complexity of change. Not every office item needs an elaborate configuration system, while a complex delivered assembly may need detailed relationships and status. Assign responsibility for maintaining the baseline and communicating authorised changes. Where several organisations contribute, agree how configuration information passes across the interface and how discrepancies are resolved before users rely on an assumed state.
Put the method into practice
Begin by identifying configuration items and a controlled reference state. Establish how proposed changes are assessed and authorised, including affected interfaces. Maintain status information that lets users distinguish approved, implemented and historical states. Verification should examine consistency between records and reality; changing a database field does not establish that every affected physical item or service arrangement was updated.
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Define configuration items and the information identifying the approved state.
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Authorise changes and assess affected items and interfaces.
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Maintain status information and verify consistency with the actual configuration.
Worked example
A fictional equipment supplier changes one component and its related instruction. Review identifies that a service package still refers to the previous component arrangement.
The team updates the affected configuration information and checks delivered and service states. It avoids assuming that changing one drawing automatically updates every dependent item.
The equipment supplier’s component change exposes a dependency in service information. Updating the primary drawing is not enough if people maintaining the equipment still use instructions for the previous arrangement. The response should identify affected configurations and appropriate communication. Review delivered and service states separately where they differ, with competent authority deciding the necessary disposition and acceptance.
Useful evidence and records
Record item identity, relevant characteristics, relationships and authorised changes at a suitable level of detail. Preserve status that supports actual operating and service decisions. Avoid collecting every possible attribute without purpose, but do not reduce the record to a file revision list when compatibility depends on relationships. The scope and complexity of the item should guide the information needed.
| Comparison element | Distinct purpose |
|---|---|
| Identification | Items and approved characteristics |
| Change control | Authority and impact assessment |
| Status | Current and historical configuration |
| Verification | Consistency between records and actual state |
Check the result and avoid a common mistake
A list of document revisions may omit relationships between items. Identify dependencies that matter to compatibility, acceptance and service continuity.
Select a change and trace all affected configuration information and actual items. Check whether the recorded state supports the decisions users need to make.
Test a change by tracing its impact across related items and actual states. Check whether users can identify which arrangement applies to their work. A configuration audit or other suitable verification can reveal disagreement between the approved information and the implemented item. The method should address that question rather than merely confirm that a list of documents exists.
Connect the next decision
Coordinate configuration management with document control and change authority. Controlled information supports the reference state, while configuration decisions address what the product or service actually comprises. External contributors need clear interfaces for relevant updates. Keep current and historical arrangements distinguishable so that maintenance, acceptance or later modifications do not rely on an assumption about a state that no longer applies.
For a related comparison, see ISO 10005 Quality Plans Explained. The related guide to document revision control explains the wider process dependency.
Practical question
How is this different from document control? Document control manages information through its lifecycle. Configuration management uses relevant information to establish and maintain the identity and state of products or services and their relationships. They interact, but controlling a file does not by itself prove that the actual item matches the approved configuration.
Configuration status can differ across development, delivered and maintained items. Define which state a record describes and who may authorise a transition. Avoid treating the latest design revision as proof that every installed item has been updated. Reliable decisions depend on knowing the actual applicable state, including authorised differences and the evidence supporting them.