What is Change Management?

The change management process is key to the successful outcome of a project. The process ensures that each change introduced is properly defined, considered and approved before implementation. Change management contains four stages:

• Proposing a change
• Summary of impact
• Decision
• Implementing a change

Proposing a Change

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

Summary of Impact

This process is carried out by the project manager who will log the change and consider the overall impact on the project. The following will be considered:

• Quantifiable cost savings and/or benefits
• Estimated cost
• Impact on timescales
• Additional resources required
• Impact on other projects and activities
• Additional risk and issues

Following this assessment, the project manager will make a recommendation whether to implement the change.

Decision

This process involves a review of the change request by an approved authority who will consider all of the information provided by the person making the request and the project manager. The decision will usually be to accept, accept with comments and/or special conditions or reject.