Perform Integrated Change Control

Unlike its very confusing title, the process itself is very simple to understand, but extremely complex to perform. During the project executing and monitoring and controlling processes, changes are requested that effect different components of the project. These requested changes are accepted/rejected and handled in perform integrated change control process. In simple words, perform integrated change control looks in to the changes and their impacts on all knowledge areas. As previous, the integration means dealing with all knowledge areas.

Consider a change in scope requested by the customer. Imagine what severe problems the project manager could face if he just calculates the cost of this change and starts working on it rather than performing a complete integrated change control process. He might totally be missing out the impacts on HR, schedule, quality, etc. and the project may end up in a total disaster. The very next thing to be done after receiving a change request is to calculate its impacts on all knowledge areas in the perform integrated change control process. It is only after this complete impact analysis that the change request, its required actions and strategies are sent to the change control board for the final approval. Change control board are made so that the responsibility of accepting or rejecting a change does not only fall on the shoulders of the project manager alone. The board may include the project manager, customer, industry experts, the sponsor, etc. Once this process is done, the project management plan is updated in its respective areas. There may be changes in the project baseline after the changes are approved, so all these effects have to be reflected in all the documents.