Arc Skills / Configuration and change control
Check the completeness of a configuration baseline
Use Arc Skills to check whether a proposed configuration baseline contains everything its stated purpose requires. The result is a completeness matrix with exact captured revisions, missing records, justified exclusions and decisions needed before release.
Use this skill
Use Arc Skills to check this configuration baseline for completeness.
Inputs:
- Baseline purpose and expected scope
- Captured item, interface, document and evidence revisions
- Review criteria, decisions and approved exclusions
Return a completeness matrix with source of expectation, captured revision, finding, consequence and owner action. Check pinned versions rather than live latest links. Separate release blockers from accepted exclusions.What you provide and what you get
| What you have | How it is used | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose and expected record list | Define what completeness means here | A defensible denominator |
| Captured snapshot and document versions | Compare expected and included records | Present, missing and unresolved rows |
| Review records and exclusions | Check authority and scope | Decisions needed for the claimed baseline purpose |
Both systems are present, but their interface is missing
Illustrative engineering example.
The proposed build baseline explicitly covers a payload, a recorder and their exchange. The baseline manifest contains four of five expected artifacts, while also carrying an optional training document.
Expected build scope: SYS-P rev C, SYS-R rev B, INT-05 rev C, ICD-05 rev C, TEST-05 rev B.
Captured: SYS-P C, SYS-R B, ICD-05 C, TEST-05 B, TRAIN-01 A. INT-05 absent.
A live link now points to ICD-05 rev D. Review approval names packet P7, but the captured packet is P8.| Expected artifact | Captured revision | Finding | Consequence / required action |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYS-P and SYS-R | C and B | Both expected systems present | Check that their identities resolve in the captured snapshot |
| INT-05 | None | Missing controlled exchange | Add the intended interface before calling the build scope complete |
| ICD-05 | C; live latest is D | Pinned version matches expected C | Owner decides whether D is needed; a live update does not silently replace C |
| TEST-05 | B | Expected procedure present | Presence is complete for this record; execution evidence is a separate gate criterion |
| Review packet | P8; approval cites P7 | Approval applicability unresolved | Reviewer checks the P7 → P8 delta and records disposition |
| TRAIN-01 | A | Extra artifact, outside required build scope | Retain or exclude explicitly; it does not offset the missing interface |
Artifact inclusion is 4/5 for the five-record expected build scope. An extra document does not change that denominator or cure the missing exchange. Presence alone also cannot establish current review approval.
The purpose matters: a draft for discussion can contain open decisions; a released build baseline must meet its governing release criteria. The matrix describes the gap and the decision rather than assigning an invented universal status.
Define expected scope before checking the snapshot
- Obtain the baseline purpose and explicit sources of expected records.
- Check stable identities, captured revisions, referenced files and intentional exclusions.
- Compare review decisions with the actual packet; identify material edits since approval.
- Explain which gaps block the claimed purpose and who can resolve or accept them.
Questions about this task
Should a newer live document automatically replace a baseline version?
No. Compare the captured and newer versions, then route the proposed update through the project’s change process. Otherwise the baseline no longer identifies one reproducible configuration.
Sources and further reading
- NASA Systems Engineering Handbook: configuration management: Background on identifying configurations and controlling baseline changes.
References inspected on 3 October 2026. The worked output is an authored example using the stated inputs.