In simple terms, software configuration management is the process of systematically managing, tracking, and controlling changes that happen in the software development lifecycle. This includes changes in the code, documentation, and process. Change control, however unpopular, is a function that ensures all changes made to the software system are consistent with Google development practices and internal methodologies. The ultimate goal is to see productivity improvement with a minimal amount of mistakes throughout the development lifecycle. Here, the interviewer is looking for how you prioritize configuration management duties and responsibilities, and your experience with controlling something even if you don't know what it is. This can be tricky, so let me explain. Configuration management is used if there are multiple team members working on a software or revision which is running on multiple machines or needs constant updating. Another reason is if a company has multiple locations or divisions that need to distribute work concurrently.