Change Control Process
Scenario
Your company has recently completed its annual revenue report which details profits and losses. It was noted that the IT department had a considerable amount of unaccounted for expenses related to sustainment expenditures due to systems change. The companies CIO has determined that the reason may be related to a failure of the “Change Management” process.
You have been hired as a MIS consultant that specializes in Change Management. Your job is to provide the CIO with a Change Management planning strategy with the intent of reducing excess cost related to changes in the IT environment. The Change Management strategy must include processes, responsible stakeholders, resources, risk assessment and quantifiable performance metrics.
Instructions
Provide the CIO with a Change Management strategy document
• Create a Change Management project scope statement that identifies processes, responsible stakeholders, resources, risk assessment and quantifiable performance metrics.
• The risk assessment component should discuss the risks associated with change in the IT environment.
Change Control Process
Change management is a process companies tend to adopt when they need to transition their organizations from one state to another for the better. Companies tend to choose reasonable modifications that spearhead the plans of the firm to improve its services r products. However, Information Technology (IT) departments may experience difficulties with managing the transition as there are unexpected areas. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) may overlook. These areas end up straining budgets and consuming funds in the background, hence several cases of unexplained accounts in IT departments. By the time CIOs realize that there may be a failure in the Change Management Process, it may be too late. However, some cases are easy to fix once the departments implement a suitable change management planning strategy that addresses their processes, responsible stakeholders, resources, and risks. – Best research paper writing services in USA
A scope change control process is essential if the project deliverables are to be achieved on time and budget. The scope statement aims at enhancing the processes within the department by setting IT Project Schedule Variance (IT PSV) and the IT Project Cost Variance (IT PCV) to avoid risks and use available resources accordingly through the help of decisions made by stakeholders.
Processes
For a change control process to be successful, it has to be implemented within the workflow of the IT department using the appropriate tasks relevant to the change’s success. Each member of the IT team has to be briefed accordingly on the changes made within the processes to avoid making mistakes. Moreover, communication should be a vital point when addressing processes during a change control. More focus is given to the processes as well as the ones running them to ensure similar mistakes are not carried out. – Best research paper writing services in USA
Responsible stakeholders
The department should define the responsibilities associated with the changes to ensure that each change receives the proper attention it needs. Sometimes, changes may affect the objectives of the project hence the need to consult with stakeholders concerning their view. There may need to contact the business owner to get a go-ahead and in some cases management may need to approve. For stakeholder responsibility to be effective in the IT department, it will be vital to implement a Change Control Board to oversee the changes in place and their impact on the financial sector of the business.
Resources
It seems that the IT department had not allocated adequate resources within the change management project plan, hence the excessive budgeting accounts (Rouse, 2011). Now henceforth, the IT department will have to plan its way through the change process with a well-detailed budget that considers time as well as unexpected circumstances. This element shall enable the department to have adequate resources and avoid unaccounted for expenditures.
Risk assessment
Change may be a good thing, but it may also be bad as there are common risks associated with the change in the IT environment. Some of the risks include change causing unintended consequences, failing to perform as expected, failure to track performance, and failure to meet management’s needs. Unintended consequences may come about as a result of not tracking performance hence loopholes in financial statements. The inability to monitor the progress of a project from all angles leads to unsatisfied management as well as poor performance. The change control process aims to monitor the activities of the IT department to know which areas are forcing the department to spend more than usual. These risks shall be assessed across the department to acknowledge which one poses a bigger threat to the IT department conforming to the project. Then, it shall be possible to identify possible remedies to the issue.
Quantifiable performance metrics
The key performance indicators (KPI) for the change control process shall adopt the IT Project Schedule Variance (IT PSV) and the IT Project Cost Variance (IT PCV). The IT PSV will Help the department in tracking its ability to deliver objectives within specified time limits while the IT PCV will show the extent to which the IT department can deliver the change control process. These performance metrics will Help in tracking expenses within the department against the system change.
In conclusion, the change control process will cover all the necessary areas needed to place the IT department back on track with the organizational change. The department shall attain more visibility by carrying out a risk assessment and setting up KPIs. This shall enable the department to streamline its budgets and achieve deliverables within the specified timeline. The processes within the change control shall involve the integration of the risks and metrics alongside the use of resources, stakeholder and refining of processes to achieve its success. This gives change control an in-depth authority to shaping the activities hence achieving goals. Project scope is therefore controlled in a manner that does not hurt the overall project. As difficult as it is to implement a scope change, it is unavoidable in the real world for purposes of cost reduction and alignment with organizational needs.
References
Rouse, M. (2011). Change Control. Retrieved from https://searchdisasterrecovery.techtarget.com/definition/change-control – Best research paper writing services in USA
