PM Themes – 5

Despite having planned and agreed, with the project owner, the objectives required to successfully deliver the project> at its outset; it would be naive in the extreme to presume that no changes to those original plans would be either asked for or become quite apparently necessary as the project progresses>. Subsequently the $1Project Manager >has to be aware of the “$1Change theme>” which requires him or her to first identify and then $1assess and control any potential changes be they ones that are requested by the $1project owner or ones identified by the project team(s) needing approval by the owner.

Controlling change. #

Does your project constantly change direction?

Accepting change as an inevitability> is the first step in being able to exert true control> over it. Having done that the experienced Project Manager will realize that acceptance of a situation is not of itself a solution – but having in place a $1procedure to control any changes> will make arriving at a solution much quicker and simpler. With requests for changes to the original agreements likely to be made from a variety of sources - having a “$1change procedure” in place will make sure that a common agreement that the change is necessary and good for $1the overall project can be established and that full authority is received before you actually allow any action to be taken pertaining to the requested change.

The change procedure. #

The change procedure has five stages to it. To begin with you must Capture>, identify the issue for change, bringing it to the attention of all relevant teams. Secondly you need to Examine >the impact that the change will have on the project. You can then $1Propose> the options that will address the required change. To reach a $1Decision on what to do you then need to consult with the relevant authority for approval. The you can finally $1Implement the change, having incorporated it into the appropriate part of the overall project plan.