Change Control

1. Definition : A request, actio or event resulting in an agreed CHANGE to

• Project delivery timescales, costs or price
• Agreed functionality or requirements(SOW)
• Contractual Conditions
• Payment Terms
• Penalties
• Customer Involvement

2.Typical Casation

• Contractually agreed commitment not being met by Customer
• Change in Requirements
• Poor effort estimation and planing
• Product Problems
• force Majeure

3. Things typically change dur to a Change Control

• Schedule -> Cash Flow-> Work Effort & Price ->Cost -> Revenue Recognition -> Contact Terms

4. Common Occurrences related to Change Contorl

• Customer keeps requesting & rejecting CC whilst refusing to pay for analysis
• Customer views payment for CC as " not in the spirit" of the project
• Sales wants to give CC free
• Customer believes the request/change is within Scope, ie not CC
• customer requests a CC that moves a milestone payment out
• Customer wants to reduce already agreed scope and believes reduced cost should be passed on to customer as other fuctions or reduction in price
• Customer does not believe the estimate is a accurate(already too high)
• Change is required on a Sub-contractors deliverable, the customer says it is within scope & will not pay and the Sun-Contractor say it is not within scope, OCS is in the middle.
• Acceptance Blackmail(ie No free Change Control then No Acceptance)

5. Rules for Managing Change Control

• Stay calm : if discussion becomes too heated on a given topic, move from the topic.
• Get all of the issues on the table  and deal with them one by one but think holistically
• Allo Positions to be clarified : Allow the customer and OCS fuctional Analysts to give the technical case as to whether an item is in or out of scope.
• Deal Holisticall : When you have heard both sides, do not agree items one by one but rather wait until all items have been heard by both side.

6. How to make a "Reasoned Case"

• Constrct your argument in four level
• Contractual High Ground(Check it you have it)
• Moral High Ground(Do you have it)
• Mutual Culpability(Is the guilt balanced)
• Vible Threat(BANOC-Best Alternative to a Negotiated Outcome)
• Use the "Range" Argument to enumerate positions
• Use DEDUCTIVE and INDUCTIVE Agrumrns where appicable
• Allow the Opponent(Customer) to speak and complete their point
• Avoid burning bridges(relationship must not be lost)
• Deal one on one where possible(avoids group dynamics)
• Make it clear that it is not personal, we are both trying to do the right thing by our employers
• Never-Exaggerate or strect the truth
• Argue PRINCIPLE not DETAIL