Change Control Management Plan

OFFEX Limited Corporate Website Development Project

Introduction

This Change Control Management Plan defines the process for identifying, documenting, evaluating, approving, and implementing changes to the OFFEX Limited Corporate Website Development Project. Effective change management is critical to project success, as uncontrolled changes can impact scope, schedule, budget, and quality (Project Management Institute, 2021).

The 16-week website development project with a total development budget of $48,500 requires rigorous change control procedures to ensure that the project remains on track while maintaining flexibility to address necessary modifications.

Change Control Process

Change Request Identification

Changes may be identified through various channels including:

• Stakeholder feedback during milestone reviews
• Technical discoveries during implementation
• Market research findings
• Regulatory requirements
• Performance testing results

According to Kerzner (2017), early identification of potential changes is crucial for minimizing their impact on project timeline and budget.

Change Request Documentation

All proposed changes must be formally documented using the Change Request Form, which includes:

• Unique change request ID
• Date submitted
• Requester name and role
• Description of the requested change
• Business justification
• Anticipated impact on project constraints (scope, schedule, budget, quality)
• Supporting documentation

Change Request Evaluation

Each change request will undergo evaluation by the Change Control Board (CCB) based on:

• Alignment with project objectives
• Technical feasibility
• Impact assessment on:
  • Project schedule
  • Budget
  • Resource requirements
  • Quality standards
  • Risk profile
  • Interdependencies with other project components

Change Request Approval Process

The approval process follows these steps:

1. Initial screening by Project Manager
2. Impact analysis by technical team leads
3. Review by Change Control Board
4. Final decision (Approve/Reject/Defer)
5. Documentation of decision and rationale
6. Communication to stakeholders

For emergency changes, an expedited process will be followed with post-implementation documentation.

Change Implementation and Verification

Approved changes will:

1. Be incorporated into the project plan
2. Receive updated resource allocations
3. Be communicated to all affected stakeholders
4. Be tracked through implementation
5. Undergo verification to ensure proper implementation
6. Be documented in the change log

Roles and Responsibilities

Project Stakeholders

• Identify potential changes
• Submit change requests
• Provide additional information as needed
• Review implemented changes within their domain expertise

Project Manager (Jami Johnson)

• Maintain the change control system
• Perform initial assessment of change requests
• Facilitate Change Control Board meetings
• Communicate decisions to stakeholders
• Update project documentation to reflect approved changes
• Monitor change implementation
• Report on change status during project updates

Effective project managers serve as the central point for change control, balancing stakeholder needs while protecting project constraints (Wysocki, 2019).

Technical Team Leads

• Assess technical feasibility of proposed changes
• Estimate impacts on their respective areas:
  • Frontend Developer: UI/UX and frontend component impacts
  • Backend Developer: System architecture and database impacts
  • Content Manager: CMS and content structure impacts
  • QA Tester: Testing requirements and quality impacts
• Implement approved changes within their domains
• Verify successful implementation

Change Control Board (CCB)

The CCB consists of:

• Project Manager (Chair)
• Technical Team Representative
• Business/Client Representative
• Executive Sponsor
• Quality Assurance Representative

The CCB will:

• Meet weekly during implementation phase
• Evaluate change requests against established criteria
• Make decisions on change approvals
• Prioritize approved changes
• Resolve conflicts related to change implementation

Research by Schwalbe (2019) indicates that a cross-functional CCB improves decision quality and stakeholder buy-in for change management decisions.

Change Control Tools and Documentation

Change Request Form

A standardized form capturing:

• Change details and justification
• Impact assessment areas
• Approval workflow
• Implementation tracking

Change Log

A centralized register recording:

• All change requests (approved, rejected, deferred)
• Current status
• Approval dates
• Implementation timeline
• Verification results

Project Impact Analysis Matrix

A tool for evaluating changes against:

• Schedule impact (days)
• Budget impact (dollars)
• Resource requirements (hours)
• Risk assessment (low/medium/high)
• Quality impact (performance, security, user experience)

Communication Templates

Standardized formats for:

• Change request notifications
• Approval/rejection communications
• Implementation announcements
• Verification reports

Change Thresholds and Escalation Paths

Authority Levels

• Project Manager: Can approve changes with less than 3-day schedule impact and under $500
• Change Control Board: Can approve changes with less than 10-day schedule impact and under $2,000
• Executive Sponsor: Must approve all changes exceeding 10 days or $2,000

Emergency Change Process

For urgent changes requiring immediate implementation:

1. Verbal approval from Project Manager and Technical Lead
2. Implementation of change
3. Retroactive documentation within 24 hours
4. Post-implementation review at next CCB meeting

Integration with Project Phases

Phase 1: Project Initiation

• Establish change control baseline
• Document initial requirements thoroughly
• Identify potential areas of change

Phase 2: Planning

• Refine change control processes
• Establish Change Control Board
• Create change management templates

Phase 3: Implementation

• Weekly CCB meetings
• Rigorous change impact analysis
• Prioritization of change requests

Phase 4: Testing

• Focus on defect-related changes
• Usability improvement changes
• Performance optimization changes

Phase 5: Closure

• Document implemented changes
• Update final documentation
• Capture lessons learned for future projects

Post-Implementation Review

All implemented changes will undergo post-implementation review to:

• Verify successful implementation
• Document actual vs. estimated impacts
• Capture lessons learned
• Update organizational process assets

Key Performance Indicators for Change Management

The effectiveness of the change management process will be measured by:

• Percentage of approved vs. rejected changes
• Average time from change request to decision
• Average time from approval to implementation
• Number of emergency changes
• Impact of changes on overall project schedule
• Impact of changes on overall project budget
• Stakeholder satisfaction with change process

According to a study by PMI (2021), projects with effective change control processes are 2.5 times more likely to be completed successfully.

Continuous Improvement

The change control process itself will be reviewed:

• Mid-project (after Phase 3)
• End of project
• Lessons learned will be documented

References

• Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.
• Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (7th ed.). PMI.
• Schwalbe, K. (2019). Information Technology Project Management (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Wysocki, R. K. (2019). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme (8th ed.). Wiley.