Question

The nature of IT is change. Not only do end users come and go, but requirements change frequently. Therefore, it is important to have a change control process. Describe the steps the change control process must go through.

Answer 1

Steps for Change Control Process

1. Define the Change Request

Change request, is the process of documenting the actual change of the request. Explain the needs of the actual request for the team in a understandable manner. Proper documentation should be done.

With the full format supporting statements, define the change.

Actual request

          Needs of the statement. For analysing outline the change to the team members of the project.

Reason for the request

          Customer influences either if the request cannot be completed or the time has been passes before the completion of the request.

Conditions of success

          The customer can able to the define the expectations of their choice from the change.

Expected completion

          The expected due date can be submitted by the requester for the item, which doesn’t mean that they must be completed by the given date. It refers to the team members for analysing the details.

Expected value

          The explanation is to be given on the basis of the needs of their request. For reporting, it is be in the form of “better customer experience” or “more accurate data has been provided by revised calculation”.

2. Submit and review the change request

          After documenting the change request, it is to be submitted to the team members of the project. The process can be varied from simple (a phone call or email) to the formal (a memo or meeting). If the request is very simple, then the review is done with the full team for the change. For reviewing the request the venue should be provided for the meeting, a questionnaire session will be conducted for making the decisions.

For the Change Request review two portions are there;

• Formal presentation or meeting
• Review of the project team and discussion

Expected turnaround time should be provided for the change control process. The setting expectations regarding the time of the response, providing feedback from the team should be discussed with the customer.

3. Define options and create response document

The options should be define after the review of Change Request. At least there should be two responses for the document which has been provided.

They are;

• Option number and name
• Proposed solution

          It includes, how to responding the change request.

• Proposed timeline

          The customer always tends to know that how long it is going to take.

• Impacts to the project

          There will be no impacts, if there is only small change. It should always explain about the minimal cost of the change, impact on the timeline, quality results.

• Expiration date for proposed changes

          The client set the timeframe for producing the response to the proposed solution and the impacts of cost/time. Expiration date has been set for the proving the process urgency.

4. Final decision and approval

          The response in time should be provided by the customer. If the Change Control Response document is expired, the re-evaluation process should be done after receiving the feedback from the customer. The communication is always needed to be done if the response results in delay. The additional reviewing and the proposal to be done for the response which has been delayed.

The results of the decisions from these needs to be approved officially. Sponsors, stakeholders and the key decision makers are to be defined for the change control process. All these process should be followed by the change control request.