Change Management - What’s so complex about it?

Perform Integrated Change Control is one of the process under monitoring & Controlling process group and in Integration knowledge area. One of the most weighted process in PMP examination and you can expect lot of questions from this process.

Let’s pick up few instances:

1. A team member comes to you and proposes changes in high level design for security module interfaces. He feels confident that introducing those changes will lead to lesser efforts and more secured and de- coupled interfaces. 
2. You (Project Manager) along with few senior team leads is having a meeting with customer to get the prototype sign off. The customer feels that the screen is too bland and needs a better UI (User Interface)
3. Your senior manager comes up to you and informs you that the inter-related BPO project has few changes in the process and hence the current project (under me) needs to change the current workflow to match the updated workflow.

 

What do you think of the above situations? Are these changes? Do you as PM needs to implement them as is or with some approvals?

PMBOK to rescue

According to PMI all the above scenarios are changes to your plan - these changes may impact the schedule/quality/scope/risk of the project and hence needs to undergo ICC (Integrated Change Control) process.

Real life 

One very good question asked in one of my workshop was - what do I do for the changes which get raised in executing phase of my project. Since I'm executing anyways - can I go ahead and implement them – This approach seems so right...  The student was so convincing that it left me thinking for a while...

So what do I do if change requests (CR) are raised?

We simply follow Change management plan - This is a plan which I as a project manager have decided and planned as part of planning process. 

Typically the process as advised by PMBOK is:

CR Management Process

• Document CR in Change request Register.
• Assign the CR to SME (Subject Matter Expert) for impact analysis
• Present the cumulative impact analysis forms to CCB (Change Control Board) for decision (go no go); you may add your recommendations in it.
• CCB meetings need to be periodic and interactive.
• The CCB accepts or rejects CRs
• The approved CRs goes back for planning.
• The PM re- plans and get approvals. New baseline are in place now. 

 Key Takeaways

• There is always a CCB
• There is always a Change Management Plan
• In case of any change (It can be reduction of scope - unbelievable??) needs to undergo Change Management process which means
• Change Request documentation in Change request Register
• Impact analysis
• Approval/rejection by CCB
• Replan (and hence part of the plan)
• Execute as per plan.
• We never implement changes (unapproved) in executing phase however small it is.

 

 Please do reach out to me for any feedback and inputs at kavita.sh@gmail.com