Virtually all technology projects start with defining scope. This is often a lengthy process with multiple stakeholders participating to define the set of project objectives required. Despite best efforts, it is inevitable that project scope will change. New items will be added to the project. Other items will be removed from the project. And other items still will need to be redefined. The one certainty in a technology project is that however it begins, it is only a matter of time before it changes. Hence, the ability of a project team to manage and adjust to change, is fundamental to success.

Any proposed change should be published to all effected stakeholders, and should include links to the item being changed. This enables both team members directly involved in the review process, as well as other team members that may be impacted to review both the original requirement and the proposed change. Moreover, often a change has a ripple effect that is not always readily apparent. So, the ability to have a proposed change be both widely disseminated and tranparent is often critical to getting it right.

With proposed changes often impacting so many team members, providing for transparent communication is critical to getting it right. Users may need to both comment on the proposed change and/or make suggested edits to the change request. To make sure all necessary team members are kept aware, alerts should be triggered to team members as reviews and comments are added to the process. This further enhances the overall collaborative effort supporting the proposed change.

Most important to the change process is that there exists both a formal and documented approval process that is transparent to all participating team members. This ensures that the change is accepted by the team, and the project plan is adjusted accordingly. Too often changes are not effectively communicated to team members, causing both mistakes that impact cost, schedule and the teamwork necessary to get the job done.