13th July 2011.
Freeze Scope Change Requests Late in the Project
Do you think that as long as you are managing scope change requests diligently, the client should be free to make changes all the way through the project? It is true that changes toward the end of the project tend to take more time and effort to accommodate. However, you might think that as long as the sponsor is willing to approve increases in budget and time to make the change, the client should be able to do it.
This is normally true, but only up to a point. There comes a time in a project where it just doesn’t make sense to make additional changes or absorb additional requirements. That is the time to gain a commitment for a change freeze. Not only are new changes expensive to implement, they are a distraction to the project team.
Depending on the nature of the project, this freeze is usually implemented after the user acceptance testing is approved and the team is getting ready for the “drive to implementation”. At this point, the team is focused on implementing the solution. The team may be working overtime. The project manager may be micromanaging the project to ensure all of the details are carried out on time. At this point in the project, scope change requests are not only costly, but they are also very disruptive. The team can lose focus and become mentally deflated. You may find that the next time there is a “drive to implementation” the team will get sloppy and make mistakes, since this would be the second time they performed these implementation activities.
The better approach is to hold these changes on a backlog and deal with them as enhancement requests after the solution is implemented and stable. (This refers to change requests and not bugs. The users may uncover bugs and errors in their testing and these errors do need to be fixed before implementation.)
If you get agreement on a change freeze date, your team can focus on delivering the current solution. Of course, if there is a change request that absolutely must go in, you can still allow the sponsor to make the call. However, gaining agreement on a freeze date will eliminate the need for additional changes on most projects.
Utilize a Change Control Board for Large, Cross-Functional Projects
Sometimes on very large projects, the project sponsor does not feel comfortable making the scope change decisions alone. This may especially be the case if the effect of the change will impact other organizations. It may also be the case that multiple organizations are participating in, or contributing to, the project funding, and want to have some say in evaluating scope change requests. For these cases, a group of people might be needed to handle the scope change approval.
A common name for this group is a Change Control Board. If a Board exists, it may be a little more cumbersome to work through. However, the general scope change management process does not need to change dramatically. For instance, there is still a document for the initial the scope change request. The project team needs to determine the impact and cost to the project. The Board must consider the impact, the value to the project, the timing, etc., and then make a determination as to whether the request is accepted.
The Scope Change Procedures must be somewhat more sophisticated to account for the Board. For instance, you need to clarify who is on the Board, how often they will meet, how they will be notified in emergencies, how they will reach decisions (consensus, majority, unanimous, etc.), how incremental work will be paid for, etc.
Create a Backlog List of Change Requests that are not Accommodated During the Project
It is possible that the sponsor may not approve scope change requests during the project, but they may be viable requests that can be done at a later time. These types of change requests should be captured on a backlog list. After the project is completed and the solution is moved to the operations and support organization, there may be opportunities for enhancements or a Phase II project. However, even at a later date, these changes will be implemented only if they are approved and if funding is available. |
