Integrated change control management
What is it?
Integrated change control management refers to the process of identifying, evaluating and managing changes to the project throughout its lifecycle, that involves assessing the impacts of the proposed change(s) to the project constraints (scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, resource) by the Project Manager and involved parties, ensuring that the proposed change is indeed important, beneficial, and feasible.
General overview
During the project execution, changes are inevitable. Some changes are very constructive that it is logical to adopt them in the execution plan, whereas others may be best rejected. These unanticipated changes can be caused by many things including advancement in technology, change in client’s needs, and some activities turning out to be more involved than anticipated.
Why is it important?
However important a change may be, it always has effect on the project constraints. Imagine a project aiming at building a secondary school at Ruzinga Village in Bukoba, Tanzania; and during execution the donor suggests the scope to be extended to accommodate a hostel for female students, which was initially unplanned. Blindly adopting the suggested change will lead to a deficit in the budget, more time will be required, quality maybe compromised, more resources will be needed, and risks will increase. It is therefore paramount to have a formal change control management process so as to avoid scope creep, the gradual expansion of the projects work without formal evaluation and acceptance of the proposed changes and their ripple effects.
What should be done
A formal way to handle changes in a project includes writing down the proposed change along with the effect it might have on other constraints, and the need for the change; a party significantly affected by the change should agree that the change is needed and properly designed; the summary is then presented to a group of team leaders (change control board) for approval, and if approved it is treated as additional work. The involvement and approval of the team leaders ensures the availability of necessary resources needed for the proposed change
Design and availability of a formal change-request form is also recommended, which is to be filled by the person proposing the change and submitted to the project manager for decision making and records keeping. He also suggests having a change-order form for formally documenting the approved changes for records keeping, as well as issuing to the responsible parties for action. The project plan should then be updated to reflect the adjustments. Moreover, upon rejection of a change request, the party that proposed the change must be well informed of the reasons that led to the rejection.
General remarks
Project managers should be thorough when developing the project plan, and not use the probability of changes to occur as an excuse, as changes have effects on the project constraints. When they deal with change management, they should focus on the big picture and have an open mind so as to make right decisions.
Conclusively, changes during the project execution are inevitable. A fact overlooked, an unforeseen event, or a change in the requirements can all amount to a need for change. A project should therefore have a proper and integrated change control management structure that will prevent scope creep and ensure all changes are thoroughly evaluated before being adopted. The project manager should also ensure the use of the change-request form and change-order form when dealing with change control management, as they will act as a reference when queries arise.
Integrated change control management refers to the process of identifying, evaluating and managing changes to the project throughout its lifecycle, that involves assessing the impacts of the proposed change(s) to the project constraints (scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, resource) by the Project Manager and involved parties, ensuring that the proposed change is indeed important, beneficial, and feasible.
General overview
During the project execution, changes are inevitable. Some changes are very constructive that it is logical to adopt them in the execution plan, whereas others may be best rejected. These unanticipated changes can be caused by many things including advancement in technology, change in client’s needs, and some activities turning out to be more involved than anticipated.
Why is it important?
However important a change may be, it always has effect on the project constraints. Imagine a project aiming at building a secondary school at Ruzinga Village in Bukoba, Tanzania; and during execution the donor suggests the scope to be extended to accommodate a hostel for female students, which was initially unplanned. Blindly adopting the suggested change will lead to a deficit in the budget, more time will be required, quality maybe compromised, more resources will be needed, and risks will increase. It is therefore paramount to have a formal change control management process so as to avoid scope creep, the gradual expansion of the projects work without formal evaluation and acceptance of the proposed changes and their ripple effects.
What should be done
A formal way to handle changes in a project includes writing down the proposed change along with the effect it might have on other constraints, and the need for the change; a party significantly affected by the change should agree that the change is needed and properly designed; the summary is then presented to a group of team leaders (change control board) for approval, and if approved it is treated as additional work. The involvement and approval of the team leaders ensures the availability of necessary resources needed for the proposed change
Design and availability of a formal change-request form is also recommended, which is to be filled by the person proposing the change and submitted to the project manager for decision making and records keeping. He also suggests having a change-order form for formally documenting the approved changes for records keeping, as well as issuing to the responsible parties for action. The project plan should then be updated to reflect the adjustments. Moreover, upon rejection of a change request, the party that proposed the change must be well informed of the reasons that led to the rejection.
General remarks
Project managers should be thorough when developing the project plan, and not use the probability of changes to occur as an excuse, as changes have effects on the project constraints. When they deal with change management, they should focus on the big picture and have an open mind so as to make right decisions.
Conclusively, changes during the project execution are inevitable. A fact overlooked, an unforeseen event, or a change in the requirements can all amount to a need for change. A project should therefore have a proper and integrated change control management structure that will prevent scope creep and ensure all changes are thoroughly evaluated before being adopted. The project manager should also ensure the use of the change-request form and change-order form when dealing with change control management, as they will act as a reference when queries arise.
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