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Project managment: Monitoring & Controlling Phase

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(@gg382)
Posts: 51
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Is it necessary to have a change control process in place for project management, or is it better to allow for flexibility and adaptability in the project plan?

 
Posted : 19/03/2023 4:57 pm
(@gdecarvalho22)
Posts: 75
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A change control process is extremely important for project management. Although some flexibility in the project plan can be beneficial at times, without a successful change control process, team members would be able to change any aspect of the project without getting proper approvals and investigations for that change. Numerous unapproved changes in a project will lead to not only delays in project completion but also to unexpected problems in the project life cycle. To anyone that works in industry, is there any scenario where proper change requests/approvals can be ignored? In other words, if the project team needs to make an urgent change to the project, does this change also need to be approved?

 

 
Posted : 25/03/2023 7:26 pm
 Wk46
(@wk46)
Posts: 39
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@gdecarvalho

I completely agree. Project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and equivalently significant and rigid fundamentals should supersede flexibility and adaptability. This prioritization assists project managers in preventing uncontrolled and unplanned changes to the project plan that could lead to a variety of issues, such as scope creep, delays, cost overruns, and reduced quality. 

Although I haven't worked in industry, in general, proper change requests/approvals should not be ignored, even in urgent situations. While there may be instances where a change needs to be made quickly, it is important to have a process in place that allows for urgent changes to be reviewed and approved in a timely manner. This helps to ensure that the change is necessary, aligns with the project's objectives, and does not have any unintended consequences. There may be a separate process in place for handling urgent changes. This process should still require a formal request, evaluation, and approval, but may have a shortened timeline or involve fewer stakeholders than the regular change control process.

 
Posted : 26/03/2023 12:15 am
(@hk425)
Posts: 39
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It’s good to have a change control process in place for project management. It is possible to have flexibility and adaptability in a project while having a change control process. A change control process is beneficial because decisions can be made together as a team, and everyone is on the same page about changes to the project, especially if the project is in the design/development phase. Any change made during this period affects the performance and functionality of a project, so it’s important for the team to be able to review and approve changes before they are implemented. Having this protocol ensures better communication, decision making, and risk management. This still allies for flexibility and adaptability because changes can still be made to the project, there’s just a process by which these changes are made and implemented. Without this, a project would go awry quickly because different people will want to make different changes, and this would happen without proper planning, documentation, and execution; the end result would be an unsafe, non-effective product.

 
Posted : 26/03/2023 1:18 pm
(@hmara)
Posts: 76
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There is a benefit to both methods of project management; I have dealt with both of these in my short career. The freeform change control methodology at my current workplace is conducive to creativity & allows for quick lead times & ambitious designs; despite the confusion that sometimes arises from it. Strict change control was implemented at my old job, every version & change was dated, recorded, and saved. This allowed for high quality deliverables from a very small team. Every person in the office laid eyes on the project before it went out the door. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the project team; lead times would be longer due to scheduling conflicts. Both have benefited in various ways.

 
Posted : 26/03/2023 4:26 pm
(@kaf43)
Posts: 78
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A change control process is essential in project management to ensure that any changes to the project plan are managed effectively and efficiently. While flexibility and adaptability in the face of unforeseen circumstances can have potential benefits, having a process in place to manage changes ensures that any modifications are carefully considered and their impact on the project is fully understood. A project without a change control process, can cause project changes to be made haphazardly or without proper consideration of their impact on the project from all perspectives. This can lead to delays, budget overruns, and other issues that can negatively affect the project's overall success. By having a change control process in place, project managers can ensure that any changes are properly evaluated and managed, which can increase the likelihood of project success.

 
Posted : 26/03/2023 4:48 pm
(@ag2265)
Posts: 70
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The common theme amongst all the responses is that yes a change control process is an important practice to have for project management as it ensures that any changes made are done so in a structured and controlled manner. This practice ensures to minimize any risks that may be associated with any changes made to the project. Some risks that may arise from making changes to the project include but are not limited to delays in design/production, increased costs leading to budgeting issues, and quality assurance of the product. Change control processes include a formal review and approval process for any proposed changes for the project. These practices assess changes that could occur such as project timeline, scope of the project, budget, resource management, and any other aspects of the project. This helps to ensure that any changes that are made for the project are stringently evaluated and their potential impacts to the entire project are analyzed and acknowledged before any changes may be implemented. Additionally, all parties that are involved on the project (stakeholders, investors, management, sponsors, customers, project team) are all aware of ALL implications and situations that may arise given a change is made to the project. It is important to note that the project plan should still allow for flexibility and adaptability as the future is unclear and unexpected problems and circumstances may arise that were not foreseen previously by the parties involved. These situations can occur through no fault of the team, however, it is still on them to maneuver through the obstacles to still put out a quality product at the end of the project. 

 
Posted : 26/03/2023 11:49 pm
(@sp2879njit-edu)
Posts: 12
Eminent Member
 

During this phase, the project team will track the project's progress, compare it to the project plan, and take corrective action if necessary. They will also monitor the project's budget, schedule, and scope to ensure that the project stays on track.

Some of the key tasks that are typically performed during the Monitoring & Controlling phase include:

  1. Monitoring project progress: The project team will monitor the project's progress to ensure that it is on track and identify any deviations from the plan.

  2. Measuring project performance: The project team will measure the project's performance against the project plan to identify any areas where performance is falling short of expectations.

  3. Analyzing project data: The project team will analyze project data to identify trends, patterns, and areas of concern

 
Posted : 29/03/2023 7:23 pm
 vv48
(@vv48)
Posts: 61
Trusted Member
 

It is better to have a change control process for project management because we need to optimize resource allocation. It is essential to have a guideline so we can streamline what is vital to change and if it is actually beneficial to the project. Change approvals can be reviewed better and controlled properly so we can keep track of the budget, schedule, work performance, and so on. If a change control is not followed it could jeopardize the project, and the company in the long run, so to avoid that we need to evaluate the project from all the different perspectives.

 
Posted : 07/04/2023 7:16 am
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