What does the Configuration Status Accounting process look like?

This process manages all reporting aspects from your Configuration Management System (CMS) / Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Remember, all other IT Service Management Processes are keen on such reports (if the quality of the content meets expectations ==> is properly controlled by configuration control).

The result out of the Configuration Status Accounting process are reports, such as

  • Impact Analysis (what is impacted when I intend to change CI xyz)
  • CI Status Accouting (Past and Future; what has happened with my CI over time, when has it been created, what Incidents where risen against, when has it changed, what has changed, when will it be required)
  • Discrepancy Reports (triggered by configuration verification & audit)
  • Number of Objects/Classes etc

and is preferably integrated into the companies standard reporting environment, so that it can be requested and executed by the requester himself/herself in the future.

Also for this CoM sub-process the ITIL manual gives no process example. The steps below should be part of the configuration status accounting process:

  1. Configuration Management gets a report request
  2. Analyse the Report Request
    1. If the report does not already exists
      • If Information (CI Type/Class) requested is not in CMS
        1. If Information requested for the report has to be under configuration control (meet level of quality)
          ==> trigger “Configuration Identification”
        2. If Information requested does not have to have such a high quality level (= no configuration control necessary)
          ==> consolidate external non-CMS-data for reporting purpose only
      • Adjust existing or create new report
  3. Execute the report
  4. Integrate report in standardized reporting environment for further usage

You also can compare this process with accouting too. This is the place where all the reports like account statements (deposits, withdrawals (changes ;-D), balance sheet , earnings statement, Value Added Tax Statement etc…. ).

You can also find an example for a process flow diagram in the blog

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 15:33 and is filed under Process. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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