The act of uniquely identifying an item according to its functional and physical characteristics, including all of its underwriting data and documents. Configuration Identification includes the following actions:

• Selecting configuration items and non-configuration items,
• Determining the types of documentation and data required for each item to completely underwrite such an item,
• Issuing numbers and other identifiers to be affixed to items and documents for unique identification,
• Maintaining descriptive and control attributes associated with items and documents,
• Creating a direct association between an underwriting document and an item,
• Determining the complete make-up of configuration items,
• Establishing baselines for items, and
• Releasing items and their associated data and documentation in terms of defined baselines.

The complete action of Configuration Identification is also known as Object Identification.

See also ATTRIBUTE, BASELINE, CONFIGURATION, CONFIGURATION ITEM, DATA, DOCUMENT, ITEM, ITEM-ITEM RELATIONSHIPS, PHYSICAL ITEM, OBJECT, OBJECT BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE, OBJECT DATA, VIRTUAL ITEM, and VIRTUAL ITEM BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE.