Change is expected. It is the only constant thing in the world. Just like in projects, changes do occur but the question is does project management provides the best method in implementing these modifications. There is a certain relief in change though it may affect many aspects like your time management as well as your scope and cost management but it could be the reason for the success of a project if proper implementation is applied. This is also one of the things I remember from our discussion. We have already discussed different chapters and kinds of management based on the Project Management Book of Knowledge and I think we are about to finish it having one chapter left to end the reporting. On what I have grasped on the reporting we have discussed about various aspects of managing a project. There are inputs, tools and techniques and outputs in regards to each phase. The different knowledge areas include: integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource management, communications, risk and procurement. As we go on with these areas, it is certain to meet the term change. Changes in a project may occur because of risks that may come along or because of the demands of the team and the clients. So, usually requests for change come from stakeholders. By meeting this change it is the responsibility of the project manager to assess the impact of accepting these into the project but you must also consider the team, the project itself and everything that will be affected with the change that you will be implementing. To do this, you need a good approximation of the impact the change will have in terms of the extra effort and cost involved. This will often impact the schedule as well, so by having a comprehensible understanding of how the time and funds will be affected you can make the judgment in regards to whether or not you will accept the change.
Project management is the best method in implementing change. If you will implement any change to your project it is best to consider project management. There are inputs, tools and techniques and outputs in project management that could give guiding principles in order to be successful in putting the changes into action. In implementing a change there is a process to be followed. I you possess a good control process then it’s possible to achieve your desired output. The process should have guidelines. Though changes can serve as risks yet it often is necessary to achieve your project goals. In implementing change in your project you must go after the change management phase. This phase will help you to manage the requests for change in your project. Like what we have discussed in our reporting there are requested changes that will happen along your project which must be processed according to the Integrated Change Control Process in which is the process to review all change requests that may be submitted in regards to the project’s organizational process assets as well as to all of the deliverables that are in question. The teams and individuals that may put forth some form of this integrated change control can include the project management team, the particular project management team leader, and or any particular individual who represents the financial interests of the project. If you consider this change process in place and time, you will have no difficulty in monitoring and controlling the amount of changes that will take place. Before implementing change you must be able to identify requests for change, you must confirm the feasibility of each change, you must control the way the change is undertaken and of course you must be able to manage the approval of the change based on guidelines and proper judgment. And also, before implementing the change you must explain clearly or step by step the process and the effects of the change to the team and the stakeholders to achieve the desired output.
Change is a fundamental part of continuous quality improvement. Changes are important and are helpful depending on how the implementations are putted into actions. Even if the change is just small you should never disregard it or accept it without understanding its effect on the whole project especially on the scope, time and cost. Based on my experiences, when we had our projects changes do really exist. Just like in our final project in Network Technologies1 where in we were to make a network design for the 5 campuses of University of Southeastern Philippines including the departments and the administration offices, unexpectedly after we finally created a design without putting IP addresses we had come into a point that we decided to change it. Unfortunately we only have 3 days left before the submission date. Before we have implemented the change we wanted we first consider things that may be affected. We also think of the time if we could still make it. It is really hard to put changes having limited time left. Fortunately after we have decided we were able to implement the change we wanted by the help of identifying properly the advantages and disadvantages, its effects and the efforts to be exerted. We both agreed with my partner to apply the change we determined and finally it resulted to a successful output. We just have to take considerations of the possible effects it may bring.
Changes may result to failure of your project. Thus, it is vital to take it into considerations and give proper verdict as to what actions will be implemented by these changes. In order to achieve a successful implementation of change in your project you must follow an effective change process. You must consider the impacts that the change may bring to deliver your objectives, consequently changes are critical. Changes may increase costs and put pressure on scheduling matters. In order to control these changes properly it is best to pursue the rules and guidelines of how to implement a change by the methods in project management. As they say feather and down are padding. Thus, changes and contingencies will be real events. They may break or make the success of your project. But surely, change always comes bearing gifts.
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