| A change management process is essential in a large | | | | analysis performed. There may need to be a risk |
| business, where multiple organizations must work | | | | assessment made, additional resources may be |
| together to deliver a product or service. Revisions to | | | | required, and the impact on the project's budget will |
| that product or service can be costly. Consequently, | | | | need to be assessed. The change management |
| requests must be reviewed and approved, and | | | | function needs to distinguish between changes |
| implementation must be carefully managed. | | | | deemed to be critical, necessary, beneficial, or of a |
| In a business, the requirement for a change can | | | | low priority, as well as those which are unnecessary |
| come from within an organization or from the | | | | or irrelevant. |
| outside, whether a business is delivering a product or | | | | Control - Once a change is formally approved, the |
| providing a service. Requests most often come from | | | | role of change management becomes one of |
| the customer, usually in the form of a new | | | | communicating details to all affected parties or |
| requirement or a modified one. A change | | | | stakeholders, and monitoring implementation progress. |
| management process, dealing with these requests | | | | With continuous improvement always in mind, |
| needs to be in place for several reasons. | | | | managers also have a responsibility to work with |
| Approval - A requested change must be first be | | | | affected organizations, monitoring and measuring all |
| reviewed and analyzed to determine its importance, | | | | implementation processes involved. |
| priority, and the feasibility of implementation, as well | | | | That said, change management is in itself not a |
| as its impact on costs, schedules, and the budget. | | | | continuous process improvement method, it is there |
| The change will be approved or disapproved, but not | | | | to manage change for the purpose of realizing |
| until the impact on all affected processes and | | | | intended business results. But the change |
| organizations is understood. Requested changes are | | | | management process itself is subject to |
| seldom approved or disapproved based solely on the | | | | improvement. Also, without a process in place, it |
| basis of whether they are needed or not. | | | | would be very difficult for organizations such as cost |
| Implementing a change quite often involves the need | | | | management, schedules management, and project |
| to make scheduling changes. | | | | management as a whole, to make any strides |
| Analysis - The total cost involved in implementing the | | | | towards reaching desired continuous improvement |
| change needs to be estimated and a cost-benefits | | | | goals. |