The Role of Change Requests in IT Project Management
The majority of the activities I handle as a project manager for an IT company involve transformation. For example, a client constructing LAN connections for a customer might decide to change the bandwidth mid-project, from, say, 5 mbps to 10 mbps.Streamlining Change Requests
As a result, planning ahead for the best ways to handle customer change requests while also streamlining the process is essential. It should be as convenient and simple as possible to secure a modification request. When requesting a change, the client must be very specific and provide a written request.Updating the Change Log
The person authorized to receive the change request is the project manager who then updates the change log; documenting activities and changes proposed by the client (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).Evaluating Change Requests
The project manager, a representative from the client's side, and an executive from the IT firm will then examine the priority of the request made by the client to know if it is critical or simply nice to have. That makes it possible to know if the change is needed urgently or if it can be rejected.Tracking and Communication
If change is made, the IT team then tracks the change and continuously communicates the outcome to the client and other relevant stakeholders affected by the made change. The outcome also gets updated on the change log as well as the rationale behind it. All the necessary project documents also ought to be amended.Cost Modification and Project Timeline
More so, if the change entails cost modification, the client, who is also the employer in the project, takes care of the costs. The team can then modify the project timeline to ensure that change request is appropriately accommodated (Beardwell and Thompson, 2014).Limitations of Change Requests
The reasonable number of change requests that a client can make are three; that is so as to not greatly interfere with the initial plans for the project. A change request can validly be disallowed or stopped when it is incompatible with the status of the project or when it is very costly.Proper Change Request Procedure
For instance, a client might request for IT equipment that are way beyond the budget; such a request will be disallowed on a valid basis. In the event that a team member accepts a change request without putting it in writing. He or she should be informed of the firm's change request policies and procedures and the request rejected. The customer will then be notified through writing about the decision as well as the proper change request procedure that should be followed.References
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Beardwell, J., & Thompson, A. (2014). Human resource management: a contemporary approach. Pearson Education.
