The eletronic configuration of an atom is going to predict which group in the periodic table it will be. For example: all elements that have their configuration distribution ending in s¹ will be in group 1 of the periodic table.
Let's take two real examples for better understanding:
11 Na - 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
19 K - 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹
Both K and Na are in group 1 of the periodic table.