Perform Integrated Change Control

00:02 In this module, we're going to look at the Perform integrated change control process from the PMBOK guide.

00:08 It's important that you pay particular attention to this module because it has a high importance in the exam.

00:13 We're going to emphasize that all changes, no matter how small or large must be accounted for must be recorded and must go through a change control process.

00:23 So the difficulty level of medium is attributed to the fact that you may not currently manage all of your changes in this way.

00:30 The memorization, however, is low.

00:32 There's not a lot of new concepts here.

00:36 The Perform Integrated Change Control Process is part of the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area.

00:42 It's one of two monitoring and controlling processes in this knowledge area, along with monitor and control project work, but monitor and control project work looks at all the work that you're doing and whether what you plan to do and what you're actually doing are equal. The Perform Integrated Change Control Process manages those changes that occur when you detect variance between what you plan to do and what you're actually doing.

01:10 The domain task alignment for this particular process is the monitoring and controlling task one which says manage changes to the project by following the Change Management Plan in order to ensure that project goals remain aligned with business needs.

01:28 The key themes of this module are this is the part where you make changes if required, always via the approved change control process, whatever that may be, your particular change control process will suit you and your projects and the complexity of those projects.

01:45 But you must have one and all changes must go through it.

01:49 So you should always have a documented, appropriate change control process that shows how all changes will be assessed and documented.

01:58 And a third key theme is a project manager should always have delegated authority to ensure the project is not held up with small changes.

02:07 And this delegated authority should allow them to make and approve small changes to time and cost and resources without having to report back to a steering committee or change control board.

02:20 So let's take a look at the inputs into this process.

02:23 The first one is the project management plan.

02:26 This is because the Project Management Plan contains as one of its subsidiary plans, our Change Management Plan, which sets out how we're going to manage change in our project.

02:38 We're all also going to want to have some work performance reports.

02:42 Now this is the raw performance data that's been turned into work performance information and made usable and understandable, and then presented in a usable format in the form of work performance reports.

02:54 Obviously, we also want the change requests that have been raised out of all the other monitoring and controlling processes.

03:00 This is where they come to.

03:02 This is where we consider them.

03:03 This is where we decide whether to approve or decline them.

03:07 We may also wish to consider enterprise environmental factors and relevant organizational process assets, things like our change control templates and our project management methodology.

03:20 The tools and techniques that we may choose to use, if appropriate, our expert judgment now I've mentioned several times that this is one of the most often used tools throughout the whole of the Bot guide, and it recognizes that you are an expert when it comes to change management.

03:36 Your project team members are experts when it comes to change management.

03:40 The project sponsor, members of the Change Control Board, the client and other external consultants may be useful to and deciding whether to approve a change or not.

03:50 You may also choose to use meetings, specifically change control meetings, the Change Control Board should meet regularly and consider in an efficient manner the changes presented to them.

04:02 You may also choose to use other change control tools.

04:06 These are the information systems you use to track and control and monitor and let people know what's going on with the changes in your project.

04:16 Here is an example of a sample change control process.

04:19 It's generic, but it will give you the idea of what your change control process could look like. All projects should have a process flow diagram like this, which explains how changes are managed.

04:30 Here we can see right at the beginning that a potential change has been identified.

04:35 First up, the project manager documents that change request in accordance with the Change Management Plan and the agreed change control process.

04:43 The next box allows the project manager to assist the level of change under their level of delegated authority if they have the delegated authority to make the change. They can either approve or decline the change and then update all the relevant project documents.

04:59 If the change request is greater, then the level of project managers delegated authority. Then it has to go to the Project Steering Committee or Change Control Board, and they will then either approve or decline the change request and whether it's approved or decline. The project manager will then once again update all relevant project documents.

05:20 As a result of taking those relevant inputs, applying to them, the relevant tools and techniques, you will generate some approved change requests.

05:29 Now the approved change requests are exactly what they say they are.

05:32 They are change requests that have been considered by either the project manager under delegated authority or the Change Control Board or Project Steering Committee, and they have been approved.

05:44 They now represent changes to project baselines or project scopes of work or project budgets.

05:50 Any of these things will have to be changed as a result of that.

05:53 Remember that the baseline is where we started, plus all approved changes. We may also generate a change log.

06:02 A change log is our register of all the changes in the project, and we've got an example coming up in a moment as a result of approving changes.

06:11 We may also go back and change part of our project management plan.

06:16 Its subsidiary plans, documents or baselines and other relevant project documents as well.

06:23 Here is an example of a change log or change register.

06:27 You see, we've given every change its own unique number there.

06:31 And on this example, we've got numbers twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six and twenty seven.

06:37 Now that numbering system is important because in the exam, you're going to be asked about the configuration management systems in your project.

06:44 Now, configuration management takes many forms.

06:47 It's any system you have in place to track any aspect of your project.

06:51 Here we're giving each of our changes a unique number so we can track them. Your configuration management system could also be your cost accounting system, your document control system, your parts numbering system.

07:05 So watch out for that question in the exam about configuration management.

07:09 This change log would change.

07:11 Register then provides a very brief description of the types of changes requested. We've also provided an assessment of them.

07:18 Are they high or low impact on our project where the decision is at? Is it approved, declined and process? And then finally, we've also indicated whether or not we've gone on to check was the approved change request implemented as approved.

07:35 So in summary, the Perform Integrated Change Control process is the part where you take those change requests that have been raised by any individual in the project, you consider them, you assess them, you document them and you make those decisions about them and record those decisions in the appropriate place.

07:53 Remember, whatever else happens on your project that all changes without exception must go through an approved change control process.

08:02 So if there's a question in the exam that paints a scenario that you've got a very small change and seems to imply that you should proceed without considering it or documenting it, that's not the right answer.

08:14 Regardless of the size of your change, you should always document it and then look to your agreed change management process as to how your process that change.

08:24 So that wraps up our introduction to perform integrated change control process.