Notes

Project Change Control

Projects by their very nature involve change to the environment whether it is to the infrastructure or application. When your project has commenced, and resources are focused, how does a customer change affect the project outcome, time-frame and your team. As project managers we need to ensure processes are in place to accommodate situations where change is required, as predicting and forecasting a change is difficult for anyone. Change can occur due to competition, customer reactions, technology changes which can put the brakes on any project. Because change is constant, project managers will need to ensure there is a good change management process in place, as in effect the change will have you plan the project and your delivery approach again. There are two documents which should be seriously considered when a change is required; they are Project Change Request and Project Impact Statement.


The Project Change Request document, anytime your client requests a change or modification to the scope of your project; it must be documented and accepted before proceeding any further. The document itself may be as simple as an email to an extensive change request document which includes the change description, purpose, a task list, time-frame and cost update. Only when the request is clearly understood can the project team evaluate the impact of the change and determine whether the change can be implemented within the allocated time-frame. The Project impact statement is a document which identifies different options the project can use to meet the customer's request. Once the options are discussed, it is up to the customer to decide which option best suites the projects and business needs. The impact statement covers possible alternatives that the project team is willing to evaluate, with pros and cons for each, perhaps include a recommendation for the best approach to take.


There are approximately six outcomes from a change request, it can be accommodated within the current timelines and there is no change to the resources being used. This type of change is the best, as it can be implemented without any real impact on both the schedule and resources. Another is that the change can be covered but the delivery time-frame will be extended, that is the impact of a change of this nature is only on the schedule, but the resources are the same and cost variation is minimal. When new resources need to be introduced into the project, but schedules and time-frames can still be met, another is when additional resources are required and an extension of the deliverable schedule occurs. A situation where the change can be accommodated with a multiple release and prioritization of the project deliverable across the dates. Finally the change cannot proceed as it is too extensive and has to be handled as a separate project.


Documentation is an integral part of the change control process, ensure you receive a written request from your customer when changes are considered, this will prove beneficial for you in the long run, and essentially every change request will follow the same procedure. Once accepted by change control processes , then the project manager will need to perform an impact study, this involves reviewing the project plan, assessing the impact to the plan and then issuing the impact study. Once the impact study is accepted by all parties then, the project plan is updated and re base-lined, as the final version.


Despite the best intentions is inevitable for lengthy project s in particular that a need for change will occur. Without rigorous and negotiated process to evaluate the need for and impact changes, the business case and associated project plan will most likely be disrupted to the extent that drastic rescheduling of tasks or resources to the entire project will be required



My Website: https://blog.changecontrol.com/the-change-control-process/