Integrated Change Control Procedure
Project Change Request Form
The Project Change Request form contains all the information required to support the decision making processes that are used to manage the unforeseen changes that inevitably arise during the course of all but the simplest of projects.
Please send questions and feedback about the use of this template to it-project-management@vt.edu.
Directions For Use- Save a copy of the IT Project Integrated Change Control form (MSWord).
- Review the guidance on this page and in each section of the form.
- Following guidance in each section of the form complete the IT Project Integrated Change Control form.
- Obtain appropriate approvals and signatures.
- Store the signed form with the other project management documentation in the project document repository.
Procedure Description
1. Objectives
The objectives of this Change Control Procedure are:
· To manage each request for change, in order to keep the scope of the project under control with full traceability,
· To allow the impact of all changes to be understood, documented and managed,
· To make sure each request for change is assessed by key project stakeholders,
· To make sure each assessed change request is accepted, rejected, or deferred by the appropriate authority,
· To enable the orderly implementation of each accepted change.
2. Summary of the Change Control Procedure
A change request is a request to change some aspect of the project that might impact one or more areas of project management that have been placed under change control.
Change Requests may affect one or several of the following:
· the work to be done or in progress (scope, solution definition, deliverable definition, etc.),
· the project schedule,
· the project cost,
· the project risk or complexity level,
· the quality of the project deliverables,
· project contract administration,
· customer satisfaction (i.e., client, sponsor, stakeholder, end user),
· the project management plans or procedures.
The Change Control Procedure is launched when a need for a change arises. The end result of the procedure is either “the change is implemented”, “the change is deferred”, or “the change is rejected”.
3. Related Forms
· Project Change Request Form
· Change Log
Flow Diagram
The diagram below shows the basic steps within the Change Control Procedure from the perspective of project management.
Flow Diagram Descriptions
| Step # | Responsibility | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Change Request Identification | Any project stakeholder | · Recognize the need for a change and describe it on the Project Change Request form.
|
| 2. Change Request Assessment | VT Project Manager
Project Team |
· Immediately defer or reject change request if it is not a valid one. o Deferred Change Requests will reenter this assessment step at a later time, o Rejected Change Requests are definitively stopped at this stage of the procedure. · For those Change Requests that are not deferred or rejected determine appropriate resources required to analyze the change request. · Perform a quick assessment of the potential impact, including an estimate of the costs and time scale for performing a detailed impact analysis. · Update the Change Request form. |
| 3. Change Request Analysis | VT Project Manager
|
· Distribute the Change Request for analysis to appropriate project team members.
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Assigned resources
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· Analyze impact of change, including effort estimate and financial impact, within agreed time frame. · Accept for detailed analysis, defer or reject. o Deferred Change Requests will reenter this analysis step at a later time, o Rejected Change Requests are definitively stopped at this stage of the procedure.
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|
VT Project Manager
|
· Collect, consolidate and document the analysis to show the total impact. · Update the Change Request form to document the decision.
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4. Change Request Approval
|
VT Project Manager |
· Steering Committee membership is planned for in the early planning stages of the project so it is already in place when needed. Membership is determined by a combination of project risk level and impact level of the change. 1. What is project risk and complexity level? o Low risk projects may only require approval for changes from the project manager and/or sponsor. o Medium and High risk projects may, depending on impact level below, require approval for changes from a Steering Committee. 2. What is the impact level of the change on the project? · Determine if the Change Request will have a “High” impact level. o If “Yes”, submit the Change Request to the Steering Committee for Approval. o If “No”, report changes to the Steering Committee. · Determine if the Change Request will result in a contract change. o If “Yes”, sign and submit Change Request for contracts approval o If “No”, approve for implementation, defer, or reject. – Deferred Change Requests will reenter this approval step at a later time, – Rejected Change Requests are definitively stopped at this stage of the procedure. · Update Change Request form to document the decision.
|
ITA Contracts Manager
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· Review contracts impact of Change Request. o If “Approved”, update the Change Request form. o If “Not Approved”, then Defer or Reject the Change Request.
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Steering Committee
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· Review impact of Change Request. o If “Approved”, VT Project Manger updates Change Request form. o If “Not Approved”, then Defer or Reject the Change Request.
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5. Change Request Implementation
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VT Project Manager
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· Update project management plans and procedures. · Communicate changes to the team. · Monitor progress according to updated project management plans. · Record completion of Change Request. · Close Change Request. |
Change Log
A Change Log is a list containing some of the information about all of the Change Requests.
| Content | Description |
|---|---|
Project Number |
The unique project number |
PCR ID |
The unique identifier of the Project Change Request |
Short description |
A brief summary of the proposed change |
Raised by |
The name of the person who introduced the change |
Priority |
The analyzed priority of the change (High, medium, or low).
|
Date raised |
The date the Change Request was introduced |
Owner |
The name of the individual responsible for dealing with the Change Request |
Target date |
The target date for addressing the Change Request |
Status |
· Open · Approved for analysis · Approved for implementation · Implemented · Deferred · Rejected · Closed
|
Status date |
The date the status was last updated |