Changing the Plan

It would be nice to think that a plan, once developed, would never change. However, that is unrealistic. No one has 20/20 foresight. Unforeseen problems are almost certain to arise. The important thing is to make changes in an orderly way, following a standard change procedure.

Encourage people to spot problems during the sign-off meeting, not later.

If no change control is exercised, the project may wind up over budget, behind schedule, and hopelessly inadequate, with no warning until it is too late. Here are suggestions for handling changes to the plan:

• Changes should be made only when a significant deviation occurs. A significant change is usually specified in terms of percent tolerances relative to the original targets.

• Change control is necessary to protect everyone from the effects of scope creep—changes to the project that result in additional work. If changes in scope are not identified and managed properly, the project may come in considerably over budget and/or behind schedule.

• Causes of changes should be documented for reference in planning future projects. The causes should be factual, not blame-and-punishment statements.

Make changes in an orderly way, following a standard change procedure.

Any plan is bad which is not susceptible to change.

—Bartolommno de San Concordio (1475–1517)