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CHANGE MANAGEMENT

The only constant is change

Projects often fail because of a failure to manage change.  Changes impact deliverables, schedules, budgets, staffing, technologies, geographies, etc.   Certain types of change can be controlled, but all too often there are no controls over changes; only the ability to anticipate, respond and adapt.

Project managers must institute appropriate change controls for the project at hand. I should note that this page is not about software change management, nor is it about requirements change management.  I am addressing the dynamic nature of the world and the likelihood that for most projects, something will change.  Change will render the initial plan(s) moot or at least badly in need of updating.  This is true for small as well as for large projects.

Managing Change

It is the project and program management team's responsibility to watch for external changes, and to manage the impact(s) of such changes. 

Scope/Requirements

Changes to the requirements of a project impact the scope -- the amount of work -- and have an impact across all aspects of the project.  Such changes are a reality so the key is to manage changes to requirements.  

Schedule

By their very nature, schedules are predictive approximations.  The better understood the application and environment, the more accurate schedules can be.  None-the-less, schedules are likely to change.  Project managers should strive to keep projects on schedule but they must also predict, adapt, modify, adjust, and then explain schedule changes.  Project managers are charged with evaluating the overall accuracy of the schedule and communicating the project status, in among other metrics, by adherence or deviation of the project. 

The size (as measured by staff-hours and projected elapsed time) of the project often drives the level of detail needed in a project plan.  Regardless of the complexity of the project plan or schedule, changes in the environment will cause changes in the schedule.  The project manager must ensure the team, the stakeholders, and management are kept apprised of the impacts of changes.

Budget  

The project manager is often responsible for executing against a budget as well as schedules and requirements.  Often times, schedules and budgets are inversely related:  holding to schedule costs more than budgeted, holding to budget causes schedule slips.  The project manager must, with other appropriate stakeholders, find the correct balance.  

Almost invariably, change means greater cost.  It's rare to have change reduce cost.  Change management involves ensuring the sponsors of the project ... those paying for it ... understand the impact of changes on the budget.  Where changes can be controlled, such as added requirements, budget impacts are part of the change analysis and may result in a decision to forego or defer the changes.  The project team, led by the project manager, must also be prepared to brainstorm on ways to hold to the budget despite the impact of changes.

Also see EVM.  more to come

Implementation

The code implementing a project will change as requirements change, problems are found in testing, or algorithms improve through experience.  Project managers must ensure such code changes are managed and orderly.  

Contingency planning

Contingency planning is closely related to change management.  Successful project managers keep open a range of options and lead the project team in adapting to changing conditions.  Contingency planning is, in a way, a subset of business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning.  Being able to respond to drastically changing conditions and to still succeed is the hallmark of having done good contingency planning.

Problem Tracking

Even the best developers, working from the clearest requirements, specifications, and designs will introduce problems.  Compound this with incorrect, incomplete, or omitted requirements, and any other form of development error.  There will be problems and there need to be changes.  Managing change includes formal problem tracking.   Basic metrics about quality and readiness to release can be found from the results of problem tracking.  more to come

Software Change Control

A brief mention of this important topic is necessary.  Many a project has come undone because of poor or absent software change control (also know as software configuration management).  There are many tools and products aimed at this issue but it is not within the scope of this website to address them.