How to evaluate a large project change request

Project change requests are a common occurrence. Occasionally, a change request can be extensive, requiring additional analysis. Here are questions to ask to provide the change review board with the information it needs to approve a major change request.

Will the change increase project complexity? Organizations often have a standard set of parameters for assessing a project change. Cost, scope, schedule, and quality are common. Very few organizations assess the impact on complexity. The number of stakeholders, technology required, use of innovative tools and other items contribute to complexity. Increased complexity can increase risk, cost, and necessitate additional resources. 

Could the change increase tension between key stakeholders? Evaluate project changes to determine whether they will increase stakeholder tension. For example, changes that increase tension include: 

• Prioritization issues – where different areas of the business assign different priorities to the use of project funds and time
• Process conflicts – where a process change benefits one area of the business and burdens another. For example, streamlining processing of travel reimbursement may make the Human Resources job easier, while creating issues for finance.

Are there schedule and expectation differences? – When new stakeholders are in different time zones or countries, answering questions and reviewing deliverables may take longer. In addition, stakeholders who are already expecting a specific timeframe could be unhappy about the delay. Also, the deliverables may be more complex when other countries’ requirements are integrated into the solution.

Do risks impact hard constraints? Many projects have hard constraints – conditions that can’t be compromised. For example, a project to make changes to meet a new law must finish before the law goes into effect. In another example, you must add certain features to your product to leapfrog your competition. Any change that puts a hard constraint at risk needs to be scrutinized before approval. 

Does the sponsor support the change (in private)? A sponsor may voice support for a change in a public setting due to hierarchical or political realities. They may share concerns with you in private. You change analysis should investigate those private concerns. This conversation with your sponsor can be useful downstream as well; if the change is approved, you know impacts to monitor to keep your sponsor informed. 

What additional analysis do you do for large change requests? Do you process them differently? If so, share with us in the comments section.

For more about project changes, check out my Project Management Foundations course.

Coming Up:

Office Hours– On August 9, Sam Yankelevitch and I will talk about overcoming obstacles for global and remote project teams. Working remotely is a reality today: it’s increasingly important to pay attention to the quality of our interactions with our distant colleagues. Language, culture, and distance influence the way we work together with stakeholders on our projects. We can either leave these factors to chance, or we can learn to leverage them to improve our project outcomes.