Change management
Change management exists so that a change to scope, schedule, architecture or budget is a decision rather than a surprise. Every change is written down, assessed before approval, and reviewed after delivery.
The standard. A process to document, assess, approve and review changes to project scope, schedule and cost.
Principles
- Every change is written down. Verbal and chat requests are captured in a change request before any work begins.
- Every change is assessed before approval. Impact on scope, timeline, budget, resources, architecture and security is evaluated by the delivery team.
- Every change is approved by the right people. Approval authority sits with a Change Advisory Board that includes both Qbits and customer stakeholders.
- Every change is traceable. A change register is the single auditable record.
- Every change is reviewed after delivery. A post-change review captures lessons and feeds back into the process.
Triggers
A change may originate from:
- The customer — new requirement, priority shift, constraint.
- The delivery team — a discovered dependency, an architecture correction.
- External factors — an AWS service change, a security finding, a regulatory requirement, a supplier issue.
All three enter the same process.
Stages
| Stage | Purpose | Artefact |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Change request | Capture the change, the rationale and the requester | Change Request Form |
| 2. Impact assessment | Evaluate technical, schedule, cost, resource and risk implications | Completed impact section |
| 3. CAB review and approval | Approve, reject, defer or modify | CAB minutes; decision in the register |
| 4. Implementation planning | Define tasks, owners, timeline, rollback and communication | Change Implementation Plan |
| 5. Implementation | Execute under control, with progress reporting | Updated plan, backlog and deliverables |
| 6. Post-change review | Verify outcome, capture lessons, close | Post-Change Review; register closed |
1. Change request
The Change Request Form captures:
- Unique ID, date raised, requester, affected project.
- Nature: scope, timeline, budget, deliverables, architecture, or a combination.
- Rationale and business or technical driver.
- Preliminary impact on timeline, budget, resources and scope.
- Supporting documentation.
2. Impact assessment
The Change Manager decides whether a full feasibility study is required, based on:
- The number of options presented.
- The complexity of the options.
- The scale of the solution proposed.
A full study covers:
- Change requirements.
- Options analysis — cost, benefit, risk, issues.
- Impact assessment.
- Recommendation and implementation plan.
3. Approval
The CAB selects one outcome:
- Reject.
- Request more information.
- Approve as requested.
- Approve subject to conditions.
The decision, the conditions and the rationale are recorded in the register.
4. Implementation planning
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Tasks | What will be done |
| Owners | Who is accountable for each |
| Timeline | Start, milestones, completion |
| Rollback | How to reverse if it fails |
| Communication | Who is told, when, how |
| Verification | How completion will be confirmed |
5. Implementation
Progress is reported at the normal delivery cadence. A change that starts to exceed its assessment triggers a re-assessment rather than an ad hoc extension.
6. Post-change review
- Did the change achieve its intended outcome?
- Did it cost what was estimated, in effort and money?
- Did it affect anything not identified in the impact assessment?
- What should change in the process next time?
Change register
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| ID | CR-001, CR-002 … |
| Date raised | |
| Requester | |
| Description | |
| Type | Scope, schedule, budget, architecture, deliverable |
| Impact | |
| Decision | Approved, rejected, deferred, conditional |
| Conditions | |
| Owner | |
| Implementation dates | |
| Status | Open, in progress, complete, closed |
| Post-change review | Date and findings |
Thresholds
Not every adjustment needs the full CAB. Define thresholds in the SOW:
| Change | Approval |
|---|---|
| Within agreed tolerance on effort and schedule | Project manager |
| Exceeds tolerance; affects a milestone | CAB |
| Affects contract scope, price or acceptance criteria | CAB plus sponsor, with a contract amendment |
Agreeing the thresholds up front prevents both bureaucracy on small changes and drift on large ones.