In project management, integrated change control is a way to manage the changes incurred during

a project. Integrated change control is the described method that manages reviewing the
suggestions for changes and utilizing the tools and techniques to evaluate whether the change
should be approved or rejected.

The inputs for integrated change control include the following:

• Project Management Plan – The project management plan is the basis for all project
activities, so it offers insights when considering changes and deciding whether to proceed
with the change or not.
• Requested changes – Requested changes arise from the executing or monitoring and
controlling process groups.
• Work performance information – Work performance information acts as an input
because the information will influence your decisions on how to handle the requests and
recommendations you receive.
• Recommended preventive actions – Recommended preventive actions are
recommendations or requests that are generated as the project progresses. Normally to
alleviate, mitigate or avoid a risk.
• Recommended corrective actions – Recommended corrective actions result from the
identification of problems, while others result from the Monitor and Control Project Work
process.
• Recommended defect repairs – Recommended defect repairs are all produced as outputs
from the Monitor and Control Project Work process.
• Deliverables – The project manager may need to make changes to deliverables as a result
of decisions made while evaluating change requests.
Having a functional, working, and understood integrated change control process is a way to
manage and handle changes to the project management plan.

To make sure that these changes are reflected in your project components you'll have to use the
following tools and techniques:

• Project management methodology - A project management methodology provides

guidelines, procedures, and templates for implementing integrated change control. The
methodology may be specific to your organization, external standards, or a combination of
both.
• Project management information system (PMIS) - A PMIS can house project
documents and control a user's ability to edit these documents. Additionally, a PMIS can
automatically generate notifications to alert team members when documents have changed.
• Expert judgment - Expert judgment means using your past project experience—and that
of your teammates and coworkers—to make decisions about whether to approve or reject
requested changes.

Using these tools and techniques it is easier to assure that changes are implemented and recorded
and that their impact on the project baseline is recognized.
A control process in place for changes needs to have consideration for the impact the changes will
have on the project outcomes. These effects should be updates to the project management plan,
scope statement, and deliverables. The outputs of an integrated change control process are:

• approved change requests

• rejected change requests
• Project Management Plan (updates)
• Project Scope Statement (updates)
• approved corrective actions
• approved preventive actions
• approved defect repairs
• validated defect repairs
• approved deliverables.

When evaluating changes needed in a project, speed of evaluation is important. The worst place is
to have no anticipated times for a change evaluation decision. Either the project will have time
added to its timeline, or changes that are not evaluated will start to consume project resources.

Purpose

Integrated change control procedures are designed to allow for consistent change control
from project to project and from activity to activity. The concept is that change control protocols should be
sufficiently consistent that they will be able to be employed across multiple projects. Integrated change
control procedures will also afford sufficient flexibility to account for customer-specific adaptations as required
under contract.

Application

These change control procedures are used in virtually every project, because they provide consistency in
how change control is implemented. They are used to provide guidance on how change should be assessed,
managed, and documented for all projects in a division or organization.

Content

The detail of integrated change control procedures looks virtually identical to any change control plan (see
earlier section). The only major difference is that integrated change control will have management approval at
a higher level (for the process, not the changes) and will address the need to assess the impact to other projects
(as well as the project causing the change).

Approaches

The integrated change control procedures are monitored by the PMO or the PSO. Those groups provide guidance
on how to adapt when contractual requirements force modifications in approach or documentation. That
guidance normally consists of a review of the process, highlighting which steps in the process have been
modified or eliminated. The details are reflected in the individual project change control plan (as appropriate).
Considerations

Integrated change control is normally the province of more mature and larger project organizations, where
consistency is critical to project and program success. Because larger organizations more frequently
switch project personnel, there is a greater need for integration of practice. Integrated change control requires
monitoring and discipline. As such, organizations with a PMO or PSO are more likely to have the resources to
police the process.