The integrated change control process is a process in the monitoring and controlling process group and integration management knowledge area. Many project management certifications are still based on the traditional project management approach that plans project actions descriptively beforehand. Therefore, any change made on the project should be evaluated in the scope of an integrated change control system.
Recently, we have been receiving feedback that there have been a lot of inquiries about the integrated change control process in the project management exams. The process of carrying out integrated change control, which is an important part of the monitoring and control process group, is a project management process that deals with the processing of change requests received during the project, in-depth study of these requests, postponement, acceptance, or rejection if necessary.
In the process of integrated change control, the implementation of approved changes and the management of secondary changes that occur as a result of these applications are also provided. The integrated change control process is implemented under the guidance of the change management plan.
The main benefit of the integrated change control process is to ensure that documented changes are treated holistically within a general perspective and to identify risks that may arise from changes that will be made without taking into account the project's objectives and holistic plans.
It is normal that the facts that occur with the planned points during the project life cycle differ, and for some reason, the project needs a change. The need for changes may arise during the measurement of the project's performance, as well as be put forward by stakeholders or come from other sources. Regardless of the source of the change, it is the responsibility of the project manager to manage the changes throughout the project.
Outputs of Perform Integrated Change Control Process;
- Approved change requests: Change request is an official statement of a proposed change to the project. It specifies the intended effect of the change and the reasons for it.
- Change log: In project management, a change log is a document used to record all changes to a project, such as the addition or modification of project documents, requests for changes, and records of decisions.
- Cost baseline: A cost baseline within project management is an approved forecast of the total cost(s) of the project.
- Requirements traceability matrix: As its name suggests, it is a matrix that contains the business requirements on the vertical axis and the technical requirements on the horizontal axis. It is a structured matrix which shows a relationship between any two given requirements in both ways.
- Risk report: Risk report can be defined as the mechanism to monitor the risk throughout the life of a project is an important part of the overall project management process.
- Change control plan: The change management plan describes how the changes to the project will be identified, analyzed, authorized, controlled, communicated and implemented.
- Configuration management plan: It is used to document how a change will be made to an existing configuration.
- Scope baseline: The scope baseline is an extensive document that includes every requirement for a project, its purpose and how it will be delivered.
- Schedule baseline: The schedule baseline is used to manage the project schedule and to compare it with the performance of the project's tasks.
- Enterprise environmental factors: Enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) are a set of factors that – if changed – can have a significant impact on the development of project management and the way it is executed.
- Organizational process assets: It provides a common language for everyone across the organization to communicate their needs, wants, and expectations for each other.
- Alternatives analysis: Knowing what is the best alternative to a decision or project that can't be done is a very complex one. Every project is unique and no one else has ever faced exactly the same problems or constraints. This means that there is not one right answer, but instead many different answers – some of them will be better than others.
- Cost-benefit analysis: In project management, the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a technique commonly used to determine if a project should be undertaken. It is an evaluation of the costs and benefits of a potential project.
- Autocratic decision making: Project managers, and other authorized stakeholders have to make some decisions without input from others.