cōn-fīgere — fasten / nail together, construct
The prefix con- stands for ‘together’ in Latin. And figere, you guessed it, stands for ‘to join’, ‘to fasten’, ‘to construct’. A ‘figure’ is therefore nothing other than something ‘joined’ or ‘constructed’. And a configuration is therefore something ‘joined together’, or more precisely, the process of joining. In a configuration, I combine individual components to form something larger. And viewed from a distance, this is also true for all three interpretations.
The Daily Misunderstanding
Who hasn’t experienced this in everyday project work? You’re sitting in a meeting, talking and discussing, getting nowhere but not really knowing why. You get the feeling that you’re talking past each other. There can be many reasons for this, but one hot contender is a lack of common understanding of terms.
One of these terms is the word configuration, which can have very different meanings depending on the context:
As in variant configuration
Again, a look in the dictionary will help: Latin variare means ‘to make colourful’, ‘to alternate colours’, ‘to colour’. The variant is therefore a certain ‘colouring’ of my product or the colouring of a component of my product. And this is exactly what variant configuration Configuration (kən-ˌfi-gyə-ˈrā-shən) n. Configuration has three distinct meanings in PLM: variant configuration, configuration management, and parameterization — each describing a different kind of joining. is all about: I (e.g. as a customer) combine individually ‘coloured’ components (variants) to create a product (combination = configuration).
Want an example? I configure a bicycle variant. I would like the frame in the ‘colouring’ trekking men’s bike, 54cm. Colouring is of course not to be understood literally here, what is meant is the frame variant. Then a 21-speed version of the gears, the gel saddle and the whole thing in navy blue (this time the colouring is literal).
Voilà, we have put together one (of many many possible) bike variants from individual variants of the components — in other words, ‘configured’.
Strictly speaking, in my opinion, in many cases we should actually be talking about variant selection rather than configuration. But that’s another topic, which I will certainly write about in the future.
As in configuration management
Anyone using the search engine of their choice will find various definitions (e.g. ISO 10007 or ANSI/EIA-649). Here, for example, according to ANSI:
“Configuration management Configuration Management (kən-ˌfi-gyə-ˈrā-shən ˈma-nij-mənt) n. Configuration management is the systematic process of tracking and controlling changes to a product or system across its lifecycle in PLM and engineering. (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.”
— (Wikipedia according to ANSI/EIA 649B)
I like the ANSI definition a lot because it contains important statements:
Whatever standard you use as a basis, it fundamentally always works like this: if we are responsible for a product, we must first determine which ‘elements’ are important to us (so-called configuration items). The term ‘element’ can and should be broadly understood, i.e. we not only look at the physical components (parts) of a product, but also at all information that is important in the context of development (and the entire lifecycle). In other words, requirements, drawings, specifications, etc.
Identifying these relevant configuration items is then aptly called configuration identification in normative terminology. The configuration is the set of configuration items that we have identified as a result of configuration identification.
Here is an example — admittedly anachronistic and not very digitalised, but it’s all about the principle:
Ingo, a senior engineer at a bicycle manufacturer, has to develop a new bicycle. In order to have proper configuration management, he (or his apprentice Anton) first creates a binder with various tabs:
- Requirements
- ISO 4210 (standard for bicycle design)
- Requirements from sales (what do customers want)
- Specification
- Frame
- Brake system
- Drive/gear system
- Production documents
- Frame welding drawing
- Assembly instructions
This completes the configuration identification and sets up the configuration. The relevant information that is currently valid is now filed peu-à-peu in the individual register sections of the binder.
The ISO 4210 register therefore contains ISO 4210:2023, the current version of the standard for bicycle design. A little later, as soon as the responsible designers have finished their work, the design drawings for the frame, brakes, etc. are also added.
In between, Anton (the apprentice) is tasked with photocopying the entire binder once a week and placing it in the archive (i.e. creating a snapshot).
At the latest when the development has been completed and the lead engineer Ingo has approved the maturity level of the specification, the photocopied folder is labelled ‘Design approved’ (AS-DESIGNED baseline) in bold red felt-tip pen.
As in parameterization of a smart product
Setting your favourite background in the Windows operating system, adapting the CAD system to the needs of your own company or entering the wheel size in the bike computer so that the speed can be displayed correctly. Colloquially, all of this also falls under the term ‘configure’. To bring it back into the context of the origin of the word ‘configuration’: you could say that you put together the individual switches and levers that the product offers you.
Perhaps a better term than configuration at this point is parameterization Parametric Configuration (ˌper-ə-ˈme-trik kən-ˌfi-gyə-ˈrā-shən) n. Parametric configuration defines product variants through adjustable parameters like dimensions and geometry, rather than selecting from a fixed set of discrete options. . My (software) product offers me various switches and setting options, for each of which I can set a parameter. In the case of the bicycle (computer), it is even a product consisting of SW and electromechanical components. Anyone who has a lot to do with Linux will be familiar with the .conf files (like Configuration), and some may remember the .ini files under Windows. But the principle is always the same. The behaviour of the software or product can be influenced by setting switches.
All three meanings ‘configured’ together
In the previous sections, we learnt that the word ‘configuration’ can be used in very different contexts. In the introduction, I wrote that the three contexts can also occur together in a project or process to confuse everyone. As promised, a few words on this too.
Configuration³
Variant Configuration often starts in Sales:
Right from the start, Viktor from the sales department made a request to engineer Ingo that the bike should be available with a frame for women and one for men, as well as in different frame sizes. Three different brake disc sizes should be available, and the customer should be able to choose between 21 and 27 gears. And voilà, the configuration item ‘frame’ within the configuration as in configuration management is itself subject to a (variant) configuration.
As a result, of course, there are different (=variant) design drawings for the different frames, and therefore also different part and material numbers for how these different frames are identified in the logistics process.
Let’s add some traceability with Config Management …
If the bike manufacturer takes it very precisely, he will have the apprentice Anton make a new photocopy of the binder as part of configuration management and label it AS-ORDERED by Julian Weyer, right after I have ordered my bike. In this baseline, everything I have ordered (trekking men’s bike, 54cm, gel saddle, 21-speed gears, navy blue, remember) will be marked with a highlighter, all variants that I have not ordered will be crossed or removed from the binder (whether I will ever get to see this photocopy of the binder myself is another matter, but it’s just for the sake of principle).
… and give the bike computer its Configuration:
The individual parameters (colloquially also the configuration) of the bike computer can also be configuration items in the sense of configuration management. This means that before the bike is delivered, the mechanic who assembled and parameterised it staples the parameter data into my photocopied file folder so that it is always possible to trace the condition in which I received my bike (AS-DELIVERED).
Sounds complicated and confusing? Actually, I find it all quite logical and coherent — if you are aware of these different aspects and correctly categorise the project context in each case.
If in doubt, it’s better to ask once more: What exactly do you mean when you refer to configuration?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is variant configuration?
Variant configuration is the process of selecting a valid combination of product options — for example, choosing a specific engine, colour, and equipment package for a car, or a frame size, gears, and saddle for a bicycle. The result is one specific product variant out of many possible valid combinations. This is what CPQ systems, product configurators, and feature models manage.
What is configuration management?
Configuration management (CM) is a management discipline for identifying, controlling, and tracing the state of all items relevant to a product — requirements, drawings, specifications, software versions — throughout its entire lifecycle. Standards such as ISO 10007 and ANSI/EIA-649 define its principles. The core goal is that a product’s actual state always matches its documented state.
What is the difference between configuration and parameterization?
Parameterization means setting switches, flags, or values inside a software system to change how it behaves — environment variables, settings files, user preferences. It is often called “configuration” colloquially, but it describes a different activity from variant configuration (selecting product options) or configuration management (controlling a product baseline). The three meanings happen to share one word.
Can all three meanings appear in the same project?
Yes — and this is where the confusion becomes costly. A product with customer-selectable options (variant configuration), managed by a controlled development process (configuration management), and containing software with adjustable settings (parameterization) involves all three meanings at once. Without a shared understanding of which meaning is intended at any given moment, cross-functional teams will consistently talk past each other.
Which standards cover configuration management?
The two most commonly cited standards are ISO 10007 (Quality management — Guidelines for configuration management) and ANSI/EIA-649 (Configuration Management Standard). Both define the core activities: configuration identification, configuration control, configuration status accounting, and configuration audit. ISO 10007 is widely used in European manufacturing contexts; ANSI/EIA-649 is common in US defence and aerospace.