Change request by customer towards the end of the project

Submitted by Shweta Ahuja on Mon, 09/17/2012 - 02:52

If project is coming to completion and a major change request comes from the customer, that needs more funds then do you discuss with customer and try to understand why its needed and is in scope or not ? OR do you discuss with sponsor since this needs a lot of funds and project is about to complete ? Please provide your feedback to clarify my fundamentals.

Mostly before issuing a change request we want to analyze the impact, right ? thats what i thought and below is a question that i got wrong. I marked answer 2 but the right one is 4

Question No : 18
 
  Your project is nearing completion, when the customer requests you to include an additional feature in the project`s final product. The BEST course of action is to:
 
 
  Choice 1 Include the feature, as it will improve customer satisfaction
 
  Choice 2 Include the feature - otherwise the product will not be accepted by the customer
 
  Choice 3 Talk with the customer and explain that the new feature does not make business sense
 
  Choice 4 Take the requirement through the change control process
 
 
  Correct Choice : 4

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anand_kl

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 05:18

Hi Shweta,


Any change request should go through the Change Control process (Or Integrated Change Management). Without understanding the impact of the change on all project parameters like Scope, Schedule, Cost ,quality, risks from the chage , it cannot be ascertained to accept or reject change.


Your Choice - 2 : This is not correct because even before you have analyzed its impact on project parameters you are deciding to include the feature.


Typical steps in change control will have:



  1. Understanding the change

  2. Analyzing its impact on project parameters/constraints like Cost, Schedule, Scope, Quality..

  3. Develop options. Like if additional scope affects schedule, then do a schedule compression.

  4. Contact change control board for approvals - they can either approve or reject

  5. Get customer buy in if needed

  6. Communicate the change to all the relevant stakeholders and re-baseline.

(For your reference: All the above points are mostly as per Rita Mulachy book.)


Choice 4 is correct because the change control process essentially evaluates the impact before taking any decesion either to include the feature or not.


Hope this helps.


Regards,


Anand KL, PMP

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admin

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 05:41

Since analysis is not an option. 4 is the best choice. You cannot implement change request on your own. It has to go through the proper process of analyzing the impact and then change control board reviewing and approving the changes in writing.


Option 2 is like bypassing the change management process hence its not the correct choice.


towards the end of the project changes can be very expensive and cost lot more, hence it has to be properly analyzed , discussed and approved.


Also when the project is nearing completion , a change may be pused to next release.  But when the project has completed deliverables and its in acceptance phase by client, then you can only if the change is showstopper it will be considered otherwise it should be put in next phase , which would be another project.

saket_pmp

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 06:27

Choice 1 and 2 is an action that you as a PM cannot and should not do before approval.


Choice 3 is hard response as the PM ideally should not bother about what makes business sense or not.


You are left with choice 4 that you will have to choose.


Ideally in real life before choice 4 you do impact analysis i.e. document the impact as a result of this CR and then take the matter to CCB after discussion with the CR owner. But you don’t have this choice so go for choice 4.


Saket, PMP

Shweta Ahuja

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 07:49

 Thanks Everyone.

 

I had chosen choice 3. I mentioned my answer was choice 2 which was a typo above.

I understand that and fully agree a change has to be analyzed first before taking to CCB but since that was not an option i missed reading that Change control process which is essentially Perf Integrated Change Control is the best answer,

 

Shweta

Shweta Ahuja

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 07:50

 Whats the difference between change control process and change control system ?

sspawar

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 10:41

It is a basic question


System - A set up or structure which includes various proccesses along with its integral sectors, like its administrative part, ownership part, its handling, its location, itsaction and movement procedures etc.


A pocess can be established in a form of system to run within a organisation.


for example : change control system -



  • where change control procedure/process is available-in pmis/configuration system

  • who is authorised to make approval on changes - ccb

  • what is a process - change control process

  • who can use it - project team/management etc

  • what is flow chart of change request - its explained in system

  • what is basic input - change request

  • what is basic output - app'd c r

  •  

you can add more


definition by PMBOK:


Change Control System [Tool]. A collection of formal documented procedures that define how project deliverables and documentation will be controlled, changed, and approved. In most application areas, the change control system is a subset of the configuration management system.


Change Control :  Identifying, documenting, approving or rejecting, and controlling changes to the project baselines.


 


 


 

Shweta Ahuja

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 17:35

Thanks so much for explaining in detail.

So when a question is asking what should your Change request go through ? can we say it can basically go through any, Change control system or change control process.

Thanks again for detailed description.

Shweta

 

tmanivannan's picture

tmanivannan

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 01:30

Do we need to accept the "addtional" features when the customer requesting ?


PMBOK says :Gold plating should not be encoraged in a Project.


similarly why we need to analyze if customer asking for any addtional features ?


(We can still ignore it as it's coming at end of the project and can be created as always new project).


 

tmanivannan's picture

tmanivannan

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 01:30

Do we need to accept the "addtional" features when the customer requesting ?


PMBOK says :Gold plating should not be encoraged in a Project.


similarly why we need to analyze if customer asking for any addtional features ?


(We can still ignore it as it's coming at end of the project and can be created as always new project).


 

sspawar

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 03:54

Primarily any additional feature other than scope - is subject of verification/examination- at all levels

project team

PM

CCB

Sponsor

Key Stakeholders

it is an complex subject- final dicision will vary as per the real/true necessity of any change.