Creating a Change Management Plan is part of the project management activities. Each project manager in the initial stages of the project makes planning. However, the Change Management Plan is also an activity that needs to be planned and formalized.
The Change Management Plan serves to limit the ever-changing scope of the project. When stakeholders follow an agreement and an agreed plan, the scope of the project is fixed. In this article, we share a sample Change Management Plan that you can use for training or real projects. Reference: “Project Change Management Plan, real example template“, https://pm.mba/posts/project-change-management-plan/
Table of Contents
Example of a Change Management Plan
A change request is any written substantiated, entered in the prescribed manner request for addition or exclusion of a product, element, functionality, part of this project, and in particular its scope. Any change in the design becomes such when it is duly described in the form approved for this purpose and documented with an entry number and date. Reference: “Change Management Plan Example”, https://bpedia.org/change-management-plan-example/
The channel for submitting requests for changes in the project are:
Officially in writing on paper with the relevant details;
Officially in writing by e-mail signed with an electronic signature.
Right to request a change
Requests for changes in this project have the right to submit only to the project manager on behalf of the client.
All requests for change under this project will be received from the project manager on the supplier’s side, and after consideration, will be screened for analysis based on the following factors:
- Criticality of the request
- Impact of the change on the project
- Urgency
- Benefits
- Risk of failure
Criticality of the request for change
The criticality of a request for change is determined by how significant it is for the project (solves an important problem affecting the whole project, affecting only a certain module of the project, affecting part of a module, or making a minor contribution). Reference: “The change control process in project management“, https://securityinformationeventmanagement.com/change-control-process-in-project-management/ Criticality also depends on the stage at which it is proposed and the current stage of work on the project (respectively, if the stage to which the request has passed or is the one on which work is underway, the request will take precedence over another that affects a future stage). Criticality is also determined by whether, if the request is approved at the specific stage, it will affect all other stages of the current project.
In describing the urgency, explain in the plan that each request should be evaluated over time. Accordingly, the urgency must be weighed against the benefits or explained by the harms.
Each request for a change in the plan must contain the most detailed description of the planned working time, which will also take the resources that would be needed to make the change. How much will the project be based on? How much will it cost, etc.?
Approval process
The process of approving a change request includes the following steps:
- Preparing and sending a request for change;
- Viewing by a project manager;
- Categorization according to the factors under point 4;
- Competence guidance;
- Analysis, organization of joint clarification discussions;
- Preparation of an opinion;
- Submitting an opinion from a project manager. Reference: “Project change management plan: A real example of a template”, https://brightonbot.com/project-change-management-plan-example/
Consider the change request
Any request for change in the project, according to the listed factors will be considered by the competent person:
- Project manager – in all situations;
- Project Director – For requests with high influence and scope, changing the project strategy, requires large human or financial resources. Requests that may lead to a significant delay in the implementation of the project.
- Project sponsor – Requests requiring great resources and urgency.
- Program Manager – All requests except those sifted at the stage of verification by the project manager and categorized as rejected (minor, incompatible).
- Line manager – in all situations (the team that will be involved in the specific request for change)
Planning
Each request for change in the project is subject to consideration and approval under item 7, and for this purpose, certain persons or entire units for analysis, evaluation, and preparation of an opinion will be engaged. Response time: up to 7 working days. If the request for change is too great an influence, the project manager on the part of the supplier is obliged within 3 days from the receipt of the request to notify the client of a planned delay in the response above the fixed time limit. Reference: “Change Management Plan: Example template”, https://wikipedia-lab.org/change-management-plan-example-template/
After the necessary analyzes and assessments have been made, the client will receive information about the time required to make the change and the necessary resources.
After sending an opinion on the proposed change to the customer with the necessary information, he undertakes within 7 working days to inform the supplier of his decision whether he approves the implementation of the specific change with the described parameters. If additional time for a decision is required, the customer notifies the supplier within 3 working days that the decision will be delayed more than the fixed term.
In case of sending a positive response from the client, he agrees with the way of making the change, and the time and resources needed for implementation.
After approval by the client, the supplier will provide all necessary measures to implement the change in the project within the prescribed period and the necessary resources.
Another short example of change management plan
Requests for changes from the client to the contractor are submitted only in writing using the Change Request Form, approved by both parties. The change request is indicated by a number, date, description of specific requests, persons requesting it, and contact details. Priority is given to other change requests on the same project or other parallel projects.
A request for change from the contracting party has the right to submit the Project Director, Project Sponsor, and Project Manager from the client’s side.
A change is anything that is not defined in the scope of the project.
The change request is accepted by the prod
the contractor’s project manager. Each claim is analyzed against the following criteria:
Criticality of the request
Impact of the change on the project
Urgency
Benefits
Any request that seriously threatens the successful implementation of the project is critical. The impact of the change on the project includes how much a change will harm (slow down, cost, demotivate teams, inconvenience external parties) the project or improve it.
Urgency includes estimating the project as time. Accordingly, urgency must match the benefits or be explained by the damage that the given change will cause to the course and implementation of the project.
Any change must have benefits for the project’s performance and ultimate goal.
Change process: each change is discussed by the project manager with the project director and sponsor, as well as with the scrum master, as a representative of the software and hardware teams.
They permit to implement of the change; the client cannot expect an urgent response from the teams before they have received permission to work from senior management.
A change request cannot be fulfilled on the hour or within the day, as perhaps many customers expect. Each change is analyzed by technical teams, marketing teams, or any other team that is related to the topic of the request. The teams, after analyzing the request, will make a plan with an estimate of the necessary time, materials, resources, money, technology, and everything else that is related to the additional work, and the project manager will inform the client in writing with a quote for the requested change.
After planning and evaluation, the client will receive the proposed parameters for additional time and resources. After the customer receives the proposals, the people in charge on their side need to give feedback and some sort of solution. The client’s project manager must send a written response with the client’s decision by signing the submitted Change Request Form.
Only after a positive response is sent and our terms are accepted will we move our schedules, plans, teams, and whatever is needed and when needed to satisfy the request (do the requested work). The customer will be notified with a quote if the change request will cost them extra, beyond the originally budgeted funding.
One reply on “Change Management Plan Example”
For any action, a request that is not described in the Project Scope and Requirements is considered a change. Each change is formulated and described in a change request and awaits approval to be implemented. The change can be requested by all interested parties and must be justified to the project manager.
Changes are made in an official form of communication via email. This is the responsibility of the project manager and he is responsible for the entire organization and implementation of the change requirements. The request should describe the reason, risk, budget, relationships, time frame and anything related to the consequences of the change.
Requests are reviewed by the Project Director and he determines whether to approve or deny the change request based on the information provided in the request. He has a certain deadline and must give an opinion on the requested change within this deadline.
The changes must be described and thought through from any kind of complications such as staff demotivation, lack of budget, too high a risk, as well as the benefits that the company can derive, if any.
The client receives an answer to his request only after the project has received the status of approved or rejected, which is decided by the
Director and the Sponsor of the project. If the request is approved, the client will receive proposed parameters and prices for the time and resources incurred. The client then assesses whether they want the change to be made or no longer want it and communicates their decision to the project’s project manager.