Purpose

Integrated change control procedures are designed to allow for consistent change control from project to project and from activity to activity. The concept is that change control protocols should be sufficiently consistent that they will be able to be employed across multiple projects. Integrated change control procedures will also afford sufficient flexibility to account for customer-specific adaptations as required under contract.

Application

These change control procedures are used in virtually every project, because they provide consistency in how change control is implemented. They are used to provide guidance on how change should be assessed, managed, and documented for all projects in a division or organization.

Content

The detail of integrated change control procedures looks virtually identical to any change control plan (see earlier section). The only major difference is that integrated change control will have management approval at a higher level (for the process, not the changes) and will address the need to assess the impact to other projects (as well as the project causing the change).

Approaches

The integrated change control procedures are monitored by the PMO or the PSO. Those groups provide guidance on how to adapt when contractual requirements force modifications in approach or documentation. That guidance normally consists of a review of the process, highlighting which steps in the process have been modified or eliminated. The details are reflected in the individual project change control plan (as appropriate).

Considerations

Integrated change control is normally the province of more mature and larger project organizations, where consistency is critical to project and program success. Because larger organizations more frequently switch project personnel, there is a greater need for integration of practice. Integrated change control requires monitoring and discipline. As such, organizations with a PMO or PSO are more likely to have the resources to police the process.