# Configuration Management (Aerospace)

> Source: https://netray.co/glossary/configuration-management
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Glossary

## Short answer

Configuration management is the discipline of identifying a product's configuration, controlling changes to it, and proving that what was built matches what was approved. In aerospace it is required by AS9100 clause 8.1.2 and typically follows EIA-649.

## Aliases

- CM
- AS9100 8.1.2
- EIA-649
- baseline management

## Category

compliance

## Full Definition

Configuration management (CM) answers three questions at any moment: what is the approved design, what was actually built, and are the two the same. It rests on four activities: configuration identification (part numbers, revisions, serial or lot effectivity), change control, status accounting (a record of every approved and implemented change), and verification and audit (for example first article inspection and physical configuration audits).

Programs organise the design into baselines, commonly functional, allocated and product baselines. Once a baseline is released, any change goes through a configuration control board (CCB) that reviews impact on form, fit, function, cost, schedule and customer-approved data. Customers such as primes or government agencies often require their own approval before a change to a controlled item can be implemented.

AS9100D clause 8.1.2 requires a configuration management process proportionate to the product, covering identification, change control, and keeping documented information consistent with the physical product. In an ERP the building blocks are the item master with revision, the bill of material with effectivity, routings tied to revision, and lot or serial records that link as-built genealogy back to the revision that was released.

Where ERPs differ: SAP has a dedicated Engineering Change Management function driven by change numbers and change masters (transaction CC01). Infor LN carries engineering data in its Engineering Data Management area, separate from production BOMs. Infor SyteLine and many mid-market systems hold the item, BOM and routing revisions in the manufacturing module and rely on engineering PLM or document control upstream, so the discipline sits in procedures as much as in screens.

## Why It Matters

- Shipping a part built to a superseded revision is a classic escape that triggers customer corrective action requests and rework of delivered lots.
- Auditors assessing to AS9100 expect to see objective evidence that drawings, BOMs, work instructions and inspection plans were at the same revision when a lot was built.
- Without effectivity control, a design change cannot be cleanly cut in at the right serial number, lot or date, so old and new stock get mixed.
- As-built records are the basis for field service, airworthiness investigations and recalls, so gaps in configuration data become gaps in safety evidence.

## In Practice

Example: a bracket P/N 4410-22 moves from Rev C to Rev D because a bend radius changes. The CCB approves with effectivity at serial 0150. In the ERP, Rev D BOM and routing are released with an effective-from serial or date, Rev C remains valid for open work orders already started, and the shop floor traveler prints the revision. At FAI and at shipment, the quality team checks the work order's revision against the drawing. A common gotcha is a rework or spare-parts order that pulls the default current revision instead of the revision the customer's configuration requires.

## Faq

### What does AS9100 require for configuration management?

**Answer:** Clause 8.1.2 requires a configuration management process appropriate to the organisation and product. It covers identification of the configuration, control of changes, and keeping documented information and the physical product aligned throughout the life cycle.

### Is configuration management the same as change management?

**Answer:** No. Change control is one part of configuration management. CM also includes configuration identification, status accounting and audits, which together prove the product matches its approved definition.

### Does an ERP replace a PLM for configuration management?

**Answer:** Usually not. PLM or engineering document control owns the design definition and approvals, while the ERP carries the released revision, effectivity and as-built genealogy into purchasing, production and shipping. Both need to stay in sync.

## Search terms

configuration management aerospace, AS9100 8.1.2 configuration management, configuration control board, baseline management, EIA-649, configuration management ERP, as-built vs as-designed, configuration audit

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