introduction
this article is to discuss one of the most important process in project management which dealing with change request during project
process Integrated Change Control
Perform Integrated Change Control ( short to ICC ) is the process of :
- reviewing all change requests;
- approving or reject changes
- managing changes to deliverables, OPA , project documents, as well as PM Plan
- communicating their disposition.
In this process we reviews all requests for changes or modifications to project documents, deliverables, baselines, or the project management plan and approves or rejects the changes
The key benefit of this process is that it allows for documented changes within the project to be considered in an integrated fashion while reducing project risk, which often arises from changes made without consideration to the overall project objectives or plans
Change request Source
Change Request could come from :
- Change Request from customer side
- validate scope
- control scope
- control schedule
- control cost
- perform QA
- manage project team
- control communication
- control risk
- plan procurement management
- control procurement
- manage stakeholder engagement
- control stakeholder engagement
Process ICC Actions in order
process of making change in order :
- the first priority to prevent the root cause of change
- identify change: where it come from , and ask stakeholder more clarification about change if it come from stakeholder
- look at impact of change to other knowledge area and constraint , this could be done coordinating with team ,
- create change request through official template
- assess change : does change fall in project charter or pm plan ? is it beneficial to project .? is it needed ?
- make option : using what if scenario, schedule compression , adjust quality , cut scope , increase opportunity , decrease threat
- make decision : change approved or rejected , coordinating with CCB change Control Board
- update the status of change in change log at PMIS
- update project document as necessary like : project charter , WBS, pm plan
- inform effected stakeholder the result of change request
- manage project as per revised project document
process ICC : Considerations
Some Points to be Considered :
- Change is inevitable , but project manager should work to prevent root cause of change whenever possible
- Change is NOT bad and could be helpful if it implemented early
- Change request could be approved or rejected depend on situation and its compatibility with project charter
- we can change things before finalize charter and project management plan without go to ICC , but once these document has been signed-off , we have to go to ICC for change
- if the number of change become excessive , we have to reevaluate business case or even terminate project and start new project
- if change does NOT affect formal documents like baseline or charter or pm plan , so project manager can approve or reject change request, without back to CCB
- if change does effect formal documents like baseline or charter or pm plan , so project manage should go through CCB or sponsor and then document it in change log
process inputs-outputs -tools-techniques
inputs
- PM plan
- change request
- work performance report
- EEF
- OPA
Techniques
- expert judgment
- change control tools
- meeting
outputs
- approved change request
- change log
- update PM log
- update Project Documents
input : Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document used to manage project execution. It documents the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate and coordinate the various planning activities. It also explains how the project is executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.
The elements of the Project Management Plan that can be used include:
Change management plan:
- The process which provides guidelines for managing the change control process and records the roles and responsibility of the change control board.
- Configuration management plan:The process of Configuration Management plan documents how configuration management will be performed. It defines those items that are configurable, those that require formal change control, and the process for controlling changes to such issues.
Scope baseline:
- Every project has a scope, and this process of scope baseline is what defines the project and product.
Schedule baseline:
- All the tasks and processes related to the project have a fixed schedule within which they have to be accomplished, and the completed tasks are then compared based on the schedule baseline.
Cost baseline:
- During the process of performing integrated changes to the project, the cost baseline is what helps the project manager to assess the impact of the changes to the project’s actual cost.
Project documents
Project documents that can be considered as inputs for this process include but are not limited to:
- Basis of estimates:
- The Basis of estimates method indicate how the project’s duration, cost, and resources estimates were derived and how they can be used to calculate the impact of the change in time, budget, and resources.
- Requirements traceability matrix:
- The requirements traceability matrix process helps assess the impact of the change in the project scope.
- Risk report:
- The risk report presents information on sources of overall and individual project risks involved by the change requested.
work performance information/reports
The work performance information/reports should be distributed with the monotonous collection of data, including schedule progress, subsequent delays and their causes, critical path activities, activities presenting delays, and actions for recovery and other vital data for managing the work. In whole, a physical representation of work performance information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, recommendations.
Work performance reports for the Perform Integrated Change Control process includes reports on:
- Resource availability
- Schedule and cost data
- Earned value management (EVM) reports
- Burn up or burn down charts
Change Requests
The Monitoring and Controlling processes along with the Executing processes produce numerous change requests as an output. The Change requests may include;
- Corrective action
- Preventive action
- Defect repairs
However, the project baselines are not affected by taking up the corrective and preventive action, but only the project performance against the benchmarks will witness changes.
Integrated Change Control - Techniques
Expert Judgment
- An expert judgment may consist of opinions and advice from project management teams along with stakeholder’s expertise. The stakeholders may also be asked to take positions on the change control board. These judgments and knowledge are applied to all technical and management levels during the – Perform Integrated Change Control Process.
Meetings
- In case of Perform Integrated Change Control process, meetings are usually referred to as change control meetings. A change control board (CCB) is responsible for meeting and reviewing the change requests along with the task of approving, rejecting any changes in the project. Appropriate stakeholders define and accept the roles and responsibilities, and the same are documented in the change management plan. The decisions taken by the Change Control board are documented and communicated through to the stakeholders as a form of information.
Change Control Tools
One of the essential features of Changes is that it can help ensure that the project is appropriately aligned with the needs of the organization. Change control is considered a critical process in project management. It provides that all changes proposed during the project are defined, reviewed as well as approved before they are even implemented into the project. Change Control under Perform Integrated Change Control avoids all unnecessary changes that can disrupt the project. Moreover, it also ensures that the changes will not affect the resources.
Change control tools should support the following configuration management activities:
Identify configuration item:
- The process of Identifying and selecting a configuration item to provide its basis after which the product configuration is defined and verified, and documents are labeled, changes are managed, and accountability is maintained.
Record and report configuration item status:
- The process where the information of each configuration item is recorded and reported.
Perform configuration item verification and audit:
- Configuration verification and audits ensure that the composition of a project’s configuration items is correct and that the corresponding changes are registered, assessed, approved, tracked, and correctly implemented. This process ensures that the functional requirements defined in the configuration documentation are achieved.
Integrated Change Control - Outputs
Approved Change Requests
- Approved Change Requests are the changes that are requested by the Project Manager. These changes are reviewed and approved by the Change Control Board, through the process of Integrated Change Control for implementation. Approved Change Requests can take place at any stage of the project (For example, during the early stages of the project, changes can occur in the form of – Change in a contractor, change in relocation or change in the design)
Changelog
- For every project, a project manager maintains a change log to register or document changes that occur in a project. Registering changes and their impact on the given project regarding time, cost, and risk is communicated to the stakeholders.
Project Management Plan Updates
- Features or components of the Project Management Plan that are updated and influenced through the Perform Integrated Change Control process are – The Scope Management Plan (the procedures for scope changes) and Scope baseline (product definition)
Project Documents Updates
- All documents that are considered part of the formal change control process are updated.
