Theme 6 of 7

Change theme

Purpose

To Identify, assess and control any potential and approved changes to baselines.

Provide knowledge on how to do Configuration Management.

Definitions

Issue and change control

Procedures to ensure that all changes that may affect the project’s agreed baselines are identified, assessed and either approved, rejected or deferred.

Configuration management

Technical and administrative activities concerned with the creation, maintenance and controlled change of configuration throughout the life cycle of a product (or item).

Change Authority is the responsibility of the Project Board and can be delegated (to Project Manager or an appointed group of people with Project Assurance responsibilities).

Change budget

A sum of money that the customer and supplier agree to use to fund the cost of requests for change. The Project Board can limit the cost of a single change or the amount to be spent in any one stage.

Configuration item

Entity that is subject to configuration management.

Release

A complete and consistent set of products that are managed, tested and deployed as a single entity to be handed over to the user(s).

Issue

The term issue covers anything happening during the project which needs to be resolved and may effect a performance target (six variables). Types of issue can be Request for change, Off-specification or Problem/concern.

Type of Issue Definition Project Board response Considerations
Request for Change A proposal for a change to a baseline.
  • Approve the change
  • Reject the change
  • Defer decision
  • Request more information
  • Ask for an Exception plan
 In case the change involves extra cost, you can:
  • Use the change budget
  • Increase project budget
  • De-scope other elements of the project
Off-specification Something that should be provided, but is not or can not be provided.
  • Grant a concession
  • Instruct that the off-specification be resolved
  • Defer decision
  • Request more information
  • Ask for an Exception plan
 A concession is an off-specification that is accepted by the Project Board without corrective action. Revise Product Description.
Problem/concern Any other issue that the Project Manager needs to resolve or escalate.
  • Provide guidance
  • Ask for an Exception plan
 Could it be resolved by relaxing the stage tolerances?

Approach to Change

The following six management products are used to control changes and do configuration management:

  • Configuration Management Strategy
    How to control changes and do configuration management in this project.
  • Configuration Item Records
    Meta data for products and items.
  • Product Status Accounts
    Reports on one or a group of products (CMDB).
  • Daily Log
    Informal information for the Project Manager.
  • Issue Register
    Capture and maintain issue information.
  • Issue Report
    Each issue can have an Issue Report.

Configuration Management Strategy

The Configuration Management Strategy must define the configuration management procedure and the issue and change control procedure. It also states the tools and techniques that will be used and the records that will be maintained. The type of reports and their format is defines. The timing of the activities in the procedures and the reporting is defined. The roles and responsibilities for Configuration Management and issue and change control are defined.

Scales for prioritising issues and for rating the severity of issues and their relation to the management level to handle such an issue, as agreed in the Initiation Stage, is defined in the Configuration Management Strategy.

Example for determining Priority (MoSCoW technique):

Must have The change is essential for the viability of the project.
Should have The change is important and its absence weakens the Business Case.
Could have The change is useful but its absence does not weaken the Business Case.
Won’t have The change is not essential nor important and can wait.

Example for scaling Severity

(each level is linked to a management level that can decide):

Level 1 (Minor) Project Support
Level 2 (Normal) Project Manager
Level 3 (Significant) Change Authority
Level 4 (Major) Project Board
Level 5 (Critical) Corporate / Programme Management

Configuration Management procedure

At the start of the project:

Planning What level of Configuration Management is required by the project?
Identification Establish a coding system for enabling a unique identifier to be assigned to each configuration item. Specify and identify all components of the project’s products

During the project:

Control Approve and baseline products and make changes only with the agreement of the appropriate authorities. Store and retrieve of all relevant information relevant to the management of the project. Archiving of all documentation produced during the lifetime of the project.
Status accounting Product Status Account: Check up & report on all current and historical date concerning each (group of) product(s).
Verification and audit Compare actual status of all products against the state recorded in the Configuration Item Records. Reporting any discrepancies. Make sure the Configuration Management procedure is followed according to the Configuration Management Strategy.

Issue and Change Control procedure

Capture Determine issue type, determine severity/priority. Log register.
Examine Assess impact on project objectives. Check severity/priority.
Propose Identify and evaluate options. Recommend options.
Decide Escalate if beyond delegated authority. Approve, reject or defer recommended option.
Implement Take actions and update records and plans.

Roles and Responsibilities

Corp. Or Prog. Mgmt

Provide corporate/programme strategy for Change & Issue Management and Configuration Management.

Executive

Determine Change Authority and Change Budget.

Set scales for severity and priority.

Respond to Requests for Advice from Project Manager.

Make decisions on escalated issues - focus on Continued Business Justification.

Senior User

Respond to Requests for Advice from Project Manager.

Make decisions on escalated issues - focus on safeguarding expected benefits.

Senior Supplier

Respond to Requests for Advice from Project Manager.

Make decisions on escalated issues - focus on safeguarding the integrity of the complete solution.

Project Manager

Manage Configuration Management procedure.

Manage Issue and Change Control procedure.

Create and maintain Issue Register

Implement corrective actions.

Team Manager

Implement corrective actions.

Project Assurance

Advise on examining and resolving issues.

Project Support

Support the Project Manager:

  • Maintain Configuration Item Records
  • Produce Product Status Accounts
  • Maintain Issue Register.

Management products

Open a register or log to see its purpose, composition, derivation, format and quality criteria.

← Risk Progress →

Issue Register

Purpose

The Purpose of the Issue Register is to capture and maintain information on all of the issues that are being formally managed. The Issue Register should be monitored by the Project Manager on a regular basis.

Composition

The Issue Register tab contains the contents of the register.

Derivation

  • The format and composition of the Issue Register will be defined in the Configuration Management Strategy
  • Entries are initially made on the Issue Register once a new issue has been raised
  • The Issue Register is updated as the issue is progressed. Once the issue has been resolved, the entry in the Issue Register is closed.

Format and presentation

An Issue Register can take a number of formats including:

  • Document, spreadsheet or database
  • Stand-alone register or a carry forward in progress review minutes
  • Entry in a project management tool
  • Part of an integrated project register for all risks, actions, decisions, assumptions, issues, lessons etc.

Quality Criteria

  • The status indicates whether action has been taken
  • The issues are uniquely identified, including information about which product they refer to
  • A process is defined by which the Issue Register is to be updated.
  • Entries on the Issue Register that, upon examination, are in fact risks, are transferred to the Risk Register and the entries annotated accordingly
  • Access to the Issue Register is controlled and the register is kept in a safe place

Configuration Item Records

Purpose

To provide a record of such information as the history, status, version and variant of each configuration item, and any details of important relationships between them.

Composition

The Configuration Item Records tab contains the contents of the register.

Derivation

  • Configuration Management Strategy
  • Product breakdown structure
  • Stage Plan and Work Package
  • Quality Register, Issue Register and Risk Register.

Format and presentation

Configuration Item Records can take a number of formats including:

  • Document, spreadsheet or database
  • Entry in a project management tool

Configuration Item Records may be part of a Configuration Management Database for those organisations that have a corporate or programme configuration management system.

Quality Criteria

  • The records reflect the status of the products accurately
  • The records are kept together in a secure location
  • Version numbers match the actual products
  • Configuration Item Records show products’ version histories
  • A process exists by which the Configuration Item Records are defined and updated

Daily Log

Purpose

A Daily Log is used to record informal issues, required actions or significant events not caught by other PRINCE2 registers or logs. It acts as the project diary for the Project Manager.

It can also be used as a repository for issues and risks during the Starting up a Project process if the other registers have not been set up.

There may be more than one Daily Log as Team Managers may elect to have one for their Work Packages, separate from the Project Manager’s Daily Log.

Composition

The Daily Log tab contains the contents of the log.

Derivation

Entries are made when the Project Manager or Team Manager feels it is appropriate to log some event. Often entries are based on thoughts, conversations and observations.

Format and presentation

A Daily Log can take a number of formats including a Document or Spreadsheet; Desk diary or log book; Electronic diary/calendar/task lists or Entry in a project management tool.

Quality Criteria

Entries are sufficiently documented to be understandable later (a short note might make sense at the time, but will it in several months’ time?)

Date, person responsible and target date are always filled in

Consideration has been given to access rights for the Daily Log (e.g. should the Daily Log be visible to everyone working on the project?).