Change is inevitable. No matter how thoroughly you plan your project, something will still come up: a stakeholder wants a new feature, or a critical team member quits, or the team’s resources are needed elsewhere for a higher priority.

You can’t control the changes coming in your project, but you can introduce them in an orderly manner. The change control process is a structured way for you to evaluate what changes you can or should say yes to, when you should say no, and how you can move forward once you’ve decided to accept a change to your project. 

If you’re looking for a way to work through the proposed changes, learn more about the change control process, its benefits, and how Lucidspark can help. 

What is the change control process?

The change control process is a method to manage changes to a project. When using the process, the goal is to ensure that you make changes judiciously, only accepting changes that will enhance the project instead of ones that will derail it, and that you have what you need to implement the changes successfully. 

Common scenarios that call for using the change management process include:

• Project scope changes, like adding a new feature

• Stakeholder input, such as when end users give feedback that what they need differs from the project’s current trajectory

• Regulatory compliance, i.e., when you must find a way for your project to meet an industry or legal standard

• Resource reallocation, such as when people or funds need to go to a different task than planned

• Schedule adjustments, either moving deadlines forward or backward

 What is the change control process in project management?

Project managers use the following steps to go through the change control process:

1. Someone proposes a change

To make the process work, you need to have a dedicated way for people to give you their ideas and needs for the project to change. Create a form that team members or other stakeholders can complete to submit a formal change request. It should include details about the proposed change, why you should make it, and how the stakeholder believes it will impact the project’s scope, resources, and schedule. 

2. Assess the proposed change

Once a change request has been submitted, it’s time for someone to investigate it. While project managers may do the initial review, some organizations ask that they don’t do it alone. Instead, they rely on a change control board or review team so that multiple perspectives evaluate the proposed change.

During the review process, you’ll need to assess the change’s impact on the project and the team’s readiness to make the change. For example, what are the potential benefits and risks of the change? Would the change be too expensive or put the project too far behind schedule? Do you have the resources available to make the change, or are your employees too busy to work on this idea, even if it could be beneficial? 

3. Make a decision

 When your review team has finished evaluating the proposal, it’s time to decide what to do next. Should you accept the change or reject it? If you accept, it becomes an official part of the project’s plan. If you reject it, the project proceeds according to your original plans.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can defer the decision to later if you want to re-examine the proposal when you have more information. You can also partially accept the proposal by adding conditions to it. 

4. Plan for and implement the change, if accepted

If you reject the change request, you can skip this step. However, if you decide to move forward with the proposal, you must decide what to do next. Make a detailed plan to implement the change, including what resources you need, the timeline, and how you’ll get everyone on board.

You may also need to plan for what you’ll do if the change doesn’t work out. Make a plan for regression testing to ensure that everything still works with the change in place, and create criteria for when you would abandon the change and go back to your original idea if it doesn’t.

5. Wrap it all up

After you decide whether to move forward with the change request, you need to close it out formally. Thoroughly document the testing and outcomes of any changes you accepted, and circle back to the person who proposed the change to ensure you addressed what they had in mind. 

Change control versus change management

Change control and change management sound like the same thing. The two are related, but don’t get them confused.

The change control process is project-specific. It deals with changes to the project itself and aims to keep it on track.

Change management is for an organization, not a project. It’s about the people who work there, not the projects they work on. Generally, change management is about helping team members understand, adapt to, and embrace organizational changes, like a new reporting structure, technology changes, or cultural transformation. 

While both change control and change management help your team work with new ideas, change control is about the work you do on this specific project instead of the way your team does its work.. 

What are the benefits of the change control process in project management?

If you use the change control management process, you thoroughly evaluate proposed changes before you approve them. This maintains the project’s integrity, ensuring that you actually reach the objectives you set out when you began the project and prevents scope creep. 

Additionally, you reap the following benefits:

• Minimize disruptions: Because you’re careful about your changes and how you make them, your project is more likely to proceed as planned. You’ll be able to plan for and work with potential risks. 

• Stakeholder engagement: The change control process flow offers a clear way for stakeholders to give feedback and suggestions, and it encourages that you circle back to them for closure. This cooperation helps everyone work together towards the project’s success.

• Accountability: Documenting all changes, who approved them, and why increases transparency and accountability on your team.

• Cost and time management: If you’re evaluating potential changes carefully, you’ll be better positioned to deliver your project on time and within your budget.

• Quality control: You can accept proposed changes with an eye toward your established quality standards. If you don’t accept anything that will compromise the project’s overall quality, you’ll create a better final result.

You can’t stop change from coming, but you can introduce it to your project in a controlled, orderly manner, enabling you to stay on track with fewer disruptions. Use our infinite whiteboard and templates to guide you through the process from beginning to end.