What is the primary purpose of Configuration Management (CM)?

The primary purpose of Configuration Management (CM) is to maintain system integrity throughout the software development lifecycle. CM involves systematically managing changes to the system's design, functionality, and configuration in a consistent manner. This ensures that all components are accurately documented and can be tracked, making it easier to manage systems as they evolve over time.

Maintaining system integrity is critical, as it helps prevent unauthorized changes that could compromise the security, performance, and reliability of software applications. By establishing processes and tools to automatically track changes and maintain baseline configurations, organizations can ensure continuity, minimize risks, and assist in troubleshooting and recovery operations when issues arise.

While reducing development costs, enhancing data analysis, or improving user experience may be associated with effective software development practices, they do not encapsulate the core objective of Configuration Management. Instead, these aspects are indirect benefits that may arise from a well-implemented CM process, which fundamentally focuses on preserving the integrity of the system configurations and components.