What is Change Control?

Change control is an important part of the project management process. With the pace of change today, it is almost certain that projects will face the demand for change during their life. While change may help ensure projects are aligned with business needs, it important that each change is carefully considered and approved.

The change control process in project management ensures that each change proposed during a project is properly defined, considered and approved before implementation. This makes sure no unnecessary changes are made, services are not disrupted and resources are used efficiently.

Change control contains five stages:

1. Proposing a Change
2. Summary of Impact
3. Decision
4. Implementing a Change
5. Closing a Change

There are two documents used during the process:

1. Change Log: used to provide a record of all changes requested and decisions made.
2. Change Request Form: used to document details of the change, including the business case.

Proposing a Change

This process gives the ability for anyone in the project team (including the customer) to propose a change to the project. The proposal must include a description of the change and expected benefits or other reason for the change. The change is presented using the Change Request Form and added to the Change Log for the project.

Summary of Impact

This process is carried out by the Project Manager who will consider the overall impact on the project. The following will be considered:

• Quantifiable cost savings and benefits.
• Legal, regulatory or other unquantifiable reason for change.
• Estimated cost of the change.
• Impact on timescales.
• Extra resources needed.
• Impact on other projects and business activities.
• New risks and issues.

After this assessment, the project manager recommends whether to carry out the change.

Decision

This process involves a review of the change request by an approved authority who will consider all the information provided by the person making the request and the Project Manager. The decision will usually be:

• Accept
• Accept with comments and special conditions
• Reject
• Defer (change is not approved, but will be considered later)

Implementing a Change

If the change is approved it is planned, scheduled and implemented at a time agreed with the stakeholders.

As part of the planning, a regression test plan is needed in case the change needs to be backed out.

After implementation it is usual to carry out a post-implementation review.

Closing a Change

When the requester agrees the change is implemented correctly, the change is closed in the Change Log.

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sophia rose

Posted 214 days ago

we donot currently have a project change request form however our BRS has a legal sign off page once the requirements are finalised. If the requirements are unchanged however the implementation date on the BRS changes due to lack of resources should this legal page be signed off ? At the moment we get an e-mail confirmationn from the project manger for a change in schedule. Howerver just wanting to find out if this is sufficient or the BRS should be signed off by the project sponsor to proceed with this change.

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