Controlling Change to Scope & Requirements
- Course:Controlling Change to Scope & Requirements
- Course ID:CONTROL Duration:2 days Where: Your Office (7+ Persons)
- Download Course Description (PDF)
Available as a private, customized course for your group at your offices or ours and in some cases as a WebLive(TM) class.
Course Outline
Introduction
- The nature of project change
- Definition of change control
- Three primary change control strategies
- How change control supports successful delivery
- How change control protects post-project Business Value
- Other benefits of controlling change
Minimizing the Need for Change
- Initiation Phase
- How the Project Charter sets the stage for change control
- Defining business value and project objectives
- Setting preliminary scope boundaries
- Stakeholder buy-in to change control
- Impact of effective estimation
- Planning Phase
- Including the perspective of stakeholders
- Thorough project planning: Scope and Requirements
- Importance of the Work Breakdown Structure
- Value of a structured requirements process
- Developing verified and validated requirements
- The Scope Statement
- How definitive project baselines enable effective change control
- Planning for Transition to minimize last minute changes
- How effective risk management promotes control of change
- Business Value planning
Change Control Overview
- Developing a change control plan
- The work of change control
- Tools of change control
- Change request form
- Impact analysis
- Change control log
- The change authority
Controlling Change When It Occurs
- Managing change to scope and requirements
- Defending the preliminary scope definition
- Negotiating to keep scope, time and cost in balance
- Sources of project change
- Managing change requests
- Using business value as a guide to change control
- Managing stakeholder expectations about the impact of change
- Negotiating scope, time and cost interdependencies
- Updating project documents
- Managing requirements
- Requirements change management
- Tracing as a change control tool
- Using the Requirements traceability matrix
- Dealing with mandates
- Change and risk
- Managing baselines
- Working with a vendor’s change control system
- Challenges to the enforcement of change control
- Reporting project changes to stakeholders
Embracing Change
- Effective change control strategies
- Evaluating CRs for value
- Qualifying CRs with an Opportunity Register
- Evaluating CRs with an Opportunity Screen
- Selecting high value changes
Course in a Nutshell
This course provides two days of practical, hands-on training in the three primary approaches to project change control. Participants are shown how to set the stage for effective project control with a well written project charter and follow it up with detailed scope statement, requirements documentation, schedule and budget. They learn how to establish project baselines and explore the details of formal change control. A useful approach for the incorporation of beneficial change in the project is presented. The benefits of change control on both project delivery and on the business value that follows the project are thoroughly examined. All participants return to their workplace better equipped to bring their projects to a successful conclusion.
Customize It!
- Is your project a moving target? Are you finding that delivery never happens because of uncontrolled changes in scope and requirements? This course can be customized to help you improve the effectiveness of change control in your most important projects.
- Are you a project manager who would like to go beyond the standard project management curriculum? This course presents a practical approach to creating a foundation for change control, controlling change as
it occurs, and embracing beneficial change when it appears. Take home a whole new set of tools and techniques. - Are you a manager, executive, or sales person whose work includes responsibility for project success? Take this course and learn what you can do to ensure that your projects proactively manage change and avoid the dangers of scope creep.
Aimed At
This course will be of special value to project managers (and function managers with project responsibility) who want a more complete understanding of Change Control; experienced project managers who want to add to their toolkit of Change Control tools and techniques; and Project Management Office staff who want better management of change in their project portfolio.
Prerequisites
Assumed is familiarity with basic project management concepts as well as some experience in the planning and execution of projects. Effective Project Management (PROJMGT, 3 days) or equivalent training/experience is suggested to ensure a firm grounding in Project Management concepts.