Overview
A Request for Change is a request to alter the current specification of a product, it is dealt with in PRINCE2 as a Project Issue. A Request for Change is recorded in the Issue Log as a Project Issue by anyone in the project or captured by the Project Manager in CS3 Capturing Project Issues. Then it is examined as part of CS4 Examining Project Issues.
A Request for Change is dealt with using change control and the allocation of authority is important. Does responsibility for change lie with the Project Manager, Project Board or a "Project Issue" group which, in PRINCE2, is called the "change authority". During Planning the decision maker must answer the questions "Where will funding for changes come from?" and "Will the Project Board approach the Corporate/Programme Management each time for scheduling/funding or scope changes?". Answering these questions may involve establishing a Change Budget where a project's minor Requests for Change can be managed without unnecessary meetings or permission requests.
A Request for Change differs from an Off-Specification in that an Off-Specification is or should be present in the Product Description or Customer's quality criteria expectations but is not (or forecast not) to be included in the final product. A Request for Change is an 'additional' expectation that the Customer wants which is outside the current defined scope of the project. It could be a new product or a change to an existing product. A Request for Change document should include the following:
- Date
- Issue Log number
- Class
- Status
- Description
- Impact
- Priority
- Decision
- Date allocated and completed.
Tips
- Identifying an Issue as a Request for Change (rather than an Off-Specification) is important as usually the funding for a Request for Change comes from the Customer rather than the Supplier.
Notes
- A Project Issue of a product that requests an alteration to an existing Product Description, e.g. if the customer asks "I now want the car to be red, not green"
- Derived from anyone within the project or gathered by the Project Manager in CS3 Capturing Project Issues
- Can be provided for in PL1 Designing a Plan by allocating a Change Budget
- A Request for Change includes its:
- Issue Log Number
- Date & class
- Status
- Description
- Impact
- Priority
- Decision details
- Allocation details
- Date allocated and completed.
Case studies and examples
Related links
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