Change Control Board | Software Project Plan The Benefits of a Project Plan Change Control Board
Make Better Decisions
There’s wisdom with a multitude of counsellors. If you have assembled the right group of people to be on a software project plan change control board then better decisions will be the result. They will be able to look at the change from different angles and perspectives and share their insight into why they think it’s a good idea to move forward or not.
Ask the Hard Questions
Another benefit of a software project plan change control board is that they won’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. There could be a change that is advocated by a strong personality on the project. This person may have a lot of people on the project report up directly to him. These people may just nod their head in agreement that the software project plan change is best path to take in order to not ruffle feathers or endanger their career. A properly staffed software project plan change control board won’t have this relationship or concern for their own careers. They’ll be able to ask why this change is being proposed, who benefits from it, how much will it cost, and what would happen if the change is not made.
Move the Project Through
A final benefit of a software project plan change control board is that once the change is approved, this group can help move the change through the company. This change board is typically made up of influential people from inside and outside the company. They will be able to use their connections and influence to ensure the change that was agreed upon will be implemented.
What Types of Changes Need to Be Brought Before a Change Control Board? These are the type of changes that will drastically impact the scope, cost, timeline and on going viability of a project. There’s a lot of overhead involved in bringing a software project change control board together and this group should be used sparingly. There needs to be procedures in place that will allow for smaller changes and decisions to be made rapidly and without having to convene the software project plan Supreme Court. It is especially important to use the software project plan change control board when it comes to changes that impact the ROI of a project. There are financial reasons why one project is chosen over another project. A big part of that equation is the ROI that project is expected to bring to the company. A project may end up being cancelled if the change is big enough and negatively impacts the ROI.
Who Should Be on the Software Project Plan Change Control Board? There needs to be representatives from the four groups listed below. There may be more than one representative on the software project plan change control board depending upon how the large the project is that is being considered.
Project Team Representatives:
The project manager should be on the change control board as the minimal representation from the project team. Ideally, there will be another member or two that is extremely close to the details of the change that is being considered.
Client Representative:
A representative from the client should be on the software project plan change control board if it is work that is being done for a paying customer. This person will need to have the authority to approve cost and schedule changes on behalf of the client.
Interested Parties:
We’ll be more specific here…these are people that are either upstream or downstream of the change that is under consideration that have a vested interest in the change. For example, there may be a software project plan change that will drastically increase the amount of support that will be needed as a result of the change. The person in charge of this support should be part of the decision making process.
Functional Manager:
This would be the person that is over the group that would be responsible for making the change. They will provide insight into whether the change is even possible and any other risks it may introduce. The facts and reasons for the change should be laid out before this group of people. Ideally, these are not people who need to justify their own existence, credibility, or like to hear themselves talk. If you have the right people on the software project plan change control board you’ll be able to start changing the reputation of committees forever!
Also Check:
Software Project Planning
Status Reporting
Software Requirement Document
Configuration Management
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Test Plan Document