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It’s important to establish separate procedures for emergency changes. This should

include a description and definition of an emergency, the authority level of the project
manager in this situation, and the process for reporting the change after it’s
implemented. That way, when emergencies arise, the preestablished procedures allow
the project manager to implement the change on the spot. This always requires follow-
up with the CCB and completion of a formal change request, even though it’s after the

fact.

In many organizations, the project sponsor is required to approve changes
that impact scope, budget, time, or quality if the estimates surpass a certain limit.
It’s always good practice to inform your sponsor of major changes to scope,
budget, time, quality, or any change that has the potential to increase risk. Check
with your organization to understand the process for approvals.

Implement the Change

When a change request is approved, you will need to implement the change. This may
require scheduling changes, resource changes, or additional funds. Depending on the
complexity of the change, you may need to coordinate activities with the project team
and schedule the change at an appropriate time. If the change will come at a later stage
in the project, make certain to perform the risk processes because a change could
introduce the potential for new risks. You’ll need to identify the new risks, log them on

the risk register, determine their risk score, and develop response plans for them if
appropriate.

Validate the Change

Once the change is implemented, you’ll need to validate that the change was made and
that it met the requirements of the change request. You’ll check the quality of the
change to assure it was performed accurately and completely. If there are problems,

you may need to implement your regression plan and reverse the changes and then
evaluate why the change did not function as planned.

Updating the Project Management Plan

Changes to the project will require updates to the affected project documents,
including but not limited to the project scope statement, budget, schedule, risk
register, and quality plans. (Chapter 10 will cover more about quality.)

Updating the project plan documents is an important step that is sometimes ignored. If

your project has an extended timeline, the changes you’ve made could be long
forgotten in the future if they are not documented. Multiple project managers may
come and go, and without a record of the change, you could be putting a future project

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