Configuration managers need to know exactly what was approved and what each result applies to. A requirements tool should make baselines, parallel proposals, effectivity and attributable decisions inspectable. A change log alone is insufficient if the tested hardware or software configuration cannot be identified.
What belongs in the baseline?
NASA's configuration-management guidance frames identification, control, status accounting and verification as related work. For a candidate system, name the requirement revision, linked design reference, applicable variant, review decision and verification result in a released baseline. Clarify which objects are snapshots and which are live links.
Can we review two parallel changes?
Use a synthetic spacecraft bus with separate mass-allocation and harness-routing proposals. Both touch one avionics interface. Ask the candidate to keep the accepted baseline intact, show each proposed difference, expose a conflict and record who authorises the merge. Then inspect what the qualification test applies to after the changes. This reveals more than a static “version history” screenshot.
Which external systems remain authoritative?
PLM or PDM may remain the authority for released part and drawing configurations. The requirements system should identify the relevant external revision and the procedure for keeping it current. Determine how deviations, waivers and anomalies are linked without treating them as approved requirement edits.
Can we reconstruct the decision?
An existing DOORS, Polarion or Codebeamer estate may already implement the required baseline and effectivity rules. Arc supports branches, differences, review and merge and configuration applicability. Test export and retention policy for the actual deployment. The programme's authority and acceptance process remain decisive.
Frequently asked questions
Is version history the same as configuration control?
No. Control also needs approved baseline contents, applicability, authority and status accounting.
What should a concurrent-change trial reveal?
Whether two proposals can be reviewed against the same accepted baseline, conflicts resolved and the final configuration attributed.
Does the requirements system replace PLM?
It need not. Define which system owns released parts and drawings, and how the requirements baseline references them.
Why must a baseline distinguish snapshots from live links?
A released requirement set needs an identifiable revision, variant, design reference, review decision and verification result. Record which references are fixed snapshots and which point to externally maintained records, then define how their current revision and applicability are controlled.
Should a deviation or waiver silently change the approved requirement?
Keep the deviation, waiver or anomaly linked with its own authorised disposition. It is not automatically an approved requirement edit. Identify the affected configuration and evidence, and use the programme change and acceptance process when the baseline itself needs revision.