Change Control Process Template
Approve and manage various requests for changes to a system or product. Keep your finger on the pulse of all change requests that could impact your project.
About the Change Control Process template
This template creates a standardized framework for the approval and management of change requests to a system or product. Your team can clearly define requested changes in one consolidated place and ensure that all proposed changes are reviewed before they’re implemented.
What is a change control process?
Change control is an integral part of project management. Most projects face the prospect of change at some point during their lifecycle. While the change might be necessary, it might also be difficult to implement on the fly.
A change control process defines the steps that must be taken to change the scope of a project. It documents the proposed change and ensures it is reviewed and improved prior to implementation.
Why use the Change Control Process template?
Here’s how using the Change Control Process Template can help your team.
Collectively decide on changes
The Change Control Process Template helps define a proposed change and ensures it is reviewed prior to implementation. As such, it allows your team to veto a change that might prove unnecessary or disruptive. If the team decides to make the proposed change, the change control process allows you to use your resources to implement the change effectively.
Provides clarity
Employing a change control process can help ensure that all team members are on the same page about proposed and approved changes. With the structure of this template, everyone is more aligned. Any changes to project deliverables become clear, and updated deadlines are recorded. his template can be used together with the Project Scope Template.
Streamline your projects and meet deadlines
A change control process will remove confusion around project deliverables. It allows your team to focus on executing approved changes as opposed to collecting information. This results in increased productivity and efficiency, which streamlines work processes and workflows.
Without a change control process in place, productivity can suffer. Time gets wasted trying to understand change requests rather than completing actual tasks. With reduced bandwidth available for the most crucial work, your team may miss important deadlines.
When do you use a change control process?
The change control process is useful for just about any project, as few project plans work out precisely as planned in practice. With the speed of change today, it's almost certain that projects will face the need for change during their lifespan. While change may help align your project with business requirements, it's important to thoroughly consider and approve each change.
At the beginning of a project, you can create a change control process so everyone knows what to do if a plan needs to be modified. The change control process in project management makes sure that each change anticipated during a project is effectively defined, reviewed, and approved before implementation. This important process helps to avoid unnecessary changes that might disrupt services. Changes can be made smoothly, and resources can be used effectively.
Change control procedures are particularly important when the project is part of a larger program or portfolio. The potential impact of unmanaged change could be far-reaching, affecting other teams or departments.
The 5 elements of a change control process
When using this template, you'll find five elements to help manage the change control process:
Suggested change - Stakeholders suggest a change by submitting a Change Request Form, which is then added to the Change Log for the project. The suggested change must include a description of the change and the expected benefits.
In review - The project manager and business stakeholders then consider the expected impact of the change. Will the change save money? Is the change too costly? How does the change impact the project timeline? Is there a legal reason for the change? Does the change introduce new risks to the business?
Rejected - After considering all the information, the project manager rejects the proposed change. Rejected proposals are tracked on the change control template and the proposer should be offered feedback as to why the change was rejected.
Accepted - After considering all the information, the project manager accepts the proposed change. If they accept, they might accept the change in its entirety or request revisions to the suggested change.
Integrated - If the change is approved, it must be planned, scheduled, and executed. After the change is implemented, it’s worthwhile for project managers to sit down with stakeholders and hold a retrospective. Did the change go as planned? How could it have gone better?
Change control process example
Now that you understand the five steps of a change control process, it’s time to put these steps into action. Let’s look at an example.
The change control process starts with the submission of a change request. This could be a change to the project scope, such as an increase in the required number of features. Or it could be a reduction in the project timeline, so that a time-sensitive product is released to market ahead of the competition.
From here, the project team can implement these basic steps to control the change effectively:
Log the change request in a change register (or log template). These requested changes are recorded in the “Suggested Change” column of the Change Control Process Template.
Undertake an initial evaluation of the impact of the change. This requires a meeting where all parties give their input on the requested changes. The suggested changes move to the “In Review” column.
Thorough evaluation of the impact of the change. Factors to consider include time, resources, costs, and risks.
The team collectively decides whether to accept or reject the suggested change. The changes are moved into the “Accepted” or “Rejected” column accordingly.
The required actions to implement the change are discussed, and a product roadmap for these actions is created. Once implemented, the changes move to the “Integrated” column.
The entries you include in your own change control template may differ depending on the changes you frequently come across and how complicated the projects are. While complicated projects that span months could run into a lot more change requests, smaller one-off projects might not need a change log template with as much detail.
This straightforward approach is a great starting point; however, you may choose to include additional fields according to the complexity of your project. The Change Control Process Template is fully customizable, depending on your team’s needs.
Get started with this template right now.
Kanban Pizza Game
Works best for:
Agile, Kanban
The Kanban Pizza Game is an interactive way for teams to learn and apply Kanban principles. By simulating a pizza delivery process, teams experience how to visualize work, limit work in progress, and optimize flow. Through rounds of iteration and reflection, participants gain insights into continuous improvement and lean thinking, fostering collaboration and driving efficiency. Get ready to slice through inefficiencies and deliver value faster with the Kanban Pizza Game!
STATIK Canvas
Works best for:
Agile, Kanban
STATIK Canvas template provides a structured framework for implementing Kanban methodology within teams. By focusing on understanding, shaping, and sharing knowledge, this template facilitates continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals. Teams can visualize their workflow, identify improvement opportunities, and implement changes iteratively to achieve higher efficiency and effectiveness in their processes.
Project Kickoff Template
Works best for:
Project Management, Documentation, Meetings
This Project Kickoff Meeting Template helps you have all the information about your project in one shared space, like a project manifesto. This template has seven activities to define your project’s goals and objectives, the team’s roles and responsibilities, and the next steps and resource materials for further consultation. Use the Project Kickoff Meeting Template to manage projects effectively and keep everyone aligned.
STAR Technique Template
Works best for:
Strategic Planning, Prioritization
Find out how to use the STAR interview method to identify the best candidate for the role. Interviewees can also use the STAR technique to prepare detailed and thorough responses during the interview.
Strategy Diamond Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Operations, Strategic Planning
To achieve key objectives, every business assembles a series of strategies. But what elements should you consider when building a strategy? A strategy diamond is a collection of elements forming a coherent business strategy. These elements include: Arenas, Differentiators, Vehicles, Staging, and Economic Logic. Most strategic plans focus on just one or two of these elements, creating gaps that might cause problems for your business later on. A strategy diamond can help you stay focused and ensure you’re fulfilling all of your business’s needs rather than one or two.
Sprint Planning with Jira Template
Works best for:
Sprint Planning, Agile
The Sprint Planning with Jira template in Miro is a powerful tool designed to streamline and enhance your sprint planning sessions. One of the key benefits of this template is its Jira integration, which saves time and effort when planning and aligning teams. By integrating directly with Jira, the template allows for seamless import and management of tasks, ensuring that all your Jira tickets are up-to-date and easily accessible within Miro. This reduces the need for manual updates and minimizes errors, making the planning process more efficient and effective.