CHANGE CONTROL SHEET

Think about the past. Have you ever developed something at work, like a report or software program, and as soon as you released it, you had to change it? More than likely, your answer is yes. More than likely, too, you needed a way to manage such changes. One way to manage changes is through a change control sheet.

The change control sheet records changes you released to your report, software, or product. You complete the change control sheet for each change and store completed sheets in a three-ring binder.

Each sheet should capture the source of the change and submission date, description, criticality, requested date change, disposition change, and actual implementation date.

The change control sheet offers two main advantages. It provides a historical record of changes made and offers you an opportunity to control changes and prioritize them.

Perhaps the biggest advantage, however, is that the change control sheet allows you to manage change rather than it manage you. You can then take a rational approach to handling change; that is, you can be proactive rather than reactive.

for Developing a Change Control Sheet

• Identify the source for a blank change control sheet.
• Identify the destination for a double-sided change control sheet.
• List the essential information to be recorded on the sheet.
• Develop instructions for the sheet.
• Determine the desired number of copies of a completed sheet and what to do with them.