What is the purpose of a Physical Configuration Audit (PCA)?

• A. A review to verify that the system's physical configuration is consistent with its requirements.
• B. A meeting to learn about opportunities
• C. Guidance for Analysis of Alternatives
• D. A phase of technology maturation

Answer: (A)

A PCA focuses on confirming that the actual system and its components line up with the approved configuration baselines and requirements. It is a formal configuration management audit that checks the physical items, their versions, wiring, drawings, BOMs, serial numbers, and other documentation against what was specified and approved. The goal is to certify that the built system matches the design and can be operated, maintained, and supported as intended. Any discrepancies are resolved before deployment, ensuring reliable traceability between the physical configuration and the documentation.

The other options don’t fit because they describe concepts unrelated to validating the actual configuration against its documented baselines: a meeting to learn about opportunities isn’t about verifying configuration, guidance for Analysis of Alternatives is a decision-support activity used early in planning, and a phase of technology maturation concerns advancing technology readiness rather than certifying a built system’s configuration.