Change management is essential to prevent
uncontrolled project slippage.
Responsibility for actions of change management lies with the project
manager, although in a large project the role may be delegated to a
specialist change manager.
Objectives
It should be possible to know
about all changes proposed and in action.
It should be possible to know
the benefits and costs of changes before committing to them
It should be possible to know
the impact of changes, and those impacted should have been consulted,
before committing to them
It
should be possible to control change i.e. commission and stop changes
The steering committee and sponsor
should be able to:
understand all proposed and active changes
assess costs and benefits of changes before commitment
Explain the change process to the project team,
manager, sponsor and steering committee (a) to let them know how it
impacts them and (b) to make sure they understand why it is important and
the control it gives them (c) to make sure they know when they should use
it (see definition above).
When a change is identified make an entry in the
log and complete a form. Completing the form makes sure that the
significance and impact of the change has been considered and prompts
analysis of the change and any necessary consultation actions.
Hold a meeting with the sponsor to obtain their
authority for the change and for any increase or reduction in time and
cost. Changes that impact other people or business units are alterations
to the original terms under which the project was commissioned. The
sponsor may have to refer to the steering committee as well.
Hold a meeting with any suppliers impacted to
agree any changes in the contracts.
There are two key documents related to change
control, namely:
