Project Change Control Processes
This is the process of reviewing all change requests, approving changes and
managing changes to the deliverables, project documents and the project plan. It is
conducted from project initiation through completion because no matter how
carefully planned a project has been, changes will need to be made throughout its life
cycle. This is one of the most important areas of the project because the cost of
implementing changes goes up as the project progresses. Therefore, it is best to make
essential changes as soon as possible in the project.
Any stakeholder involved with the project may request changes. For example,
end-users may realize that their requirements have changed or testing of a product
may show that it is inappropriate in some unforeseen way. The business may be
affected by changes in legislation, changes in government policy or changes in
business strategy. It is also possible that project team members may believe that an
emerging technology may offer a better solution to that originally planned or that a
product just might not work the way that it was supposed to.
All of these potential changes need a process to control them and their effect
on the project. This process, called change control, should ensure that proposed
changes are interpreted in terms of their potential effect on project timescales, costs,
benefits, quality and personnel.
This means that although they may be initiated verbally, they should always
be recorded in written form and entered into a change management system as
a formal change request. As such, they will be subject to the process specified in the
change control system and must be either approved or rejected.
If a change request or document update request is raised, then an impact
analysis should be performed. This process looks at the knock-on effects of the
change on other products, and also the effect if the changes are not implemented.
This decision is usually taken by the project manager or a change control board
(CCB) responsible for approving or rejecting change requests. The purpose of the
impact analysis is to arrive at a balanced view of the effect of the proposed change
on the projects ability to satisfy its mandate. This will enable project management to
decide whether to proceed with the change or not.
Approved change requests can require new or revised cost estimates, activity
sequences, schedule dates, resource requirements, and analysis of risk response
alternatives. The applied level of change control is dependent upon the application
area, complexity of the specific project, contract requirements, and the context and
environment in which the project is performed.
These changes will result from both external influences as well as problems
that arise within the project environment. The four main sources of change are:
1) Environmental: resulting from changes in legislation, government policy, or
business strategy.
2) Organizational: High-level business decisions may change the basic terms of
reference of the project - for example, there may be a change to the overall scope of
the project.
3) End-User: resulting from changes in customer requirements. It is also possible
that feedback gained during the review or testing of a product may show that it is
unsuitable in some unexpected way.
4) Technical: New technology may offer a better solution to that originally planned.
Alternatively, technical problems may prevent a product from working in the way
that it was supposed to.
All of these potential changes need a process to control them and their effect on the
project. This process, called change control, should ensure that proposed changes
are interpreted in terms of their potential effect on project timescales, costs, benefits,
quality, and personnel.
Where there is a proposed alteration to the project's products, change control
should analyze the change and assess its impact, prioritize and plan the necessary
work, and finally control its implementation.
Any person associated with a project should be able to raise any concern they
have at any time. The concern may involve a perceived problem or a suggestion for
an improvement to some area of the work, documentation, or project organization.
These issues should be reviewed at regular meetings.
There are three possible outcomes when an issue is considered:
1. A change to the design or features of a product may be agreed. This will
mean changing the way the product is specified in the plans and updating any costs
and timescales accordingly. An impact analysis should also be performed.
This process looks at the knock-on effects of the change on other deliverables,
and also the effect if the changes are not implemented. The purpose of the impact
analysis is to arrive at a balanced view of the effect of the proposed change on the
project's ability to satisfy its mandate. This will enable the project manager to decide
whether to proceed with the change or not.
2. The proposed change is rejected because it is not felt to represent a
significant concern.
3. The third option is unusual but it does occasionally happen that a
deliverable does not agree with its specification and changing the specification is a
better solution than changing the deliverable.
Where changing the deliverable is thought to be the best option, the project
manager should use the impact analysis to assess the change in terms of its effect on
timescales, cost, benefit, quality, personnel, and risk and to decide at what level the
decision to proceed should be taken. He or she should then determine whether or not
the proposed change is significant enough to be referred back to the sponsor.
Change control meetings involve the CCB described previously. The roles
and responsibilities of these boards are clearly defined and agreed upon by
appropriate stakeholders and documented in the change management plan. CCB
decisions are documented and communicated to the stakeholders for information and
follow-up actions.
These involve people who are responsible for managing the project work
including the project manager, the project sponsor, selected project team members,
selected stakeholders, anyone with responsibility for any of the project management
processes, and others as needed.
Collective decision-making is very important area of project management that
can make or break this part of the project. It will involve meetings between the
project manager, the team and other stakeholders in order to make decisions about
the activity definitions and associated estimates. How well these meetings are
conducted will have a major impact on how smoothly the project runs.
If you feel as though your project meetings could be improved then you can
download the 'Meeting Skills' eBooks from this website. These free eBooks cover
all aspects of meetings including how to set an agenda that will ensure that the
meeting achieves it's aims and how to chair a meeting so that it is as productive as
possible.
