Chapter 5 – Managing the Test Activities
Configuration Management – ISTQB Definition
Last Updated: July 12, 2026 · SoftwareTestPilot QA Team
Official ISTQB Definition
A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes, record and report change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance.
In simple words
The process that keeps track of what code, data, docs and environments belong together at every point in time.
Exam tip
Without configuration management, defect reports and test results become useless — you can't reproduce them.
Related terms
- Configuration ItemAnything under version/change control: a source file, a doc, a test script, a build.
- Version ControlGit, SVN — the tool that lets many people edit the same code without losing changes.
- BaselineA frozen version of a document or build that becomes the reference point for everything after it.
Practice this term in the ISTQB Mock Test
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Practice in Mock Test