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Construction Project Change Management Plan

Author's Name

Institutional Affiliation

Instructor's Name

Course

Date
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Table of Contents
1.1 Background of the project: Milestones and Deliverable......................................................2
1.1.1 Project Approval............................................................................................................3
1.1.2 Review of requirements.................................................................................................3
1.1.3 Approval of design........................................................................................................3
1.1.4 Project Execution..........................................................................................................4
1.1.5 Phase Milestones...........................................................................................................4
1.1.6 Project Handover...........................................................................................................4
1.2 Project deliverables...............................................................................................................4
1.3 Change management Plan.....................................................................................................5
1.3.1 Definition of changes....................................................................................................5
1.3.2 Types of changes...........................................................................................................6
1.4 Change process.....................................................................................................................7
1.5 Change Control Board (CCB)............................................................................................10
1.5.1 Roles and responsibilities of CCB members...............................................................11
1.6 Threshold levels..................................................................................................................12
1.7 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................13
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1.1 Background of the project: Milestones and Deliverable

For this project to be marked as complete, it must go through all the six key milestones:

project approval, review of requirements, design approval, project execution, phase milestones

and project handover.

1.1.1 Project Approval

This is the first milestone that will allow the project to continue to the following stages,

where we develop key ideas such as the design, site plan and zoning. We will hire a professional

to conceptualize and design the project through a drawing for about two weeks, ascertaining that

they are taped up by a certified professional. We will then proceed to develop a site plan and

seek site plan approval through the authorities. Also, we will seek zoning compliance through

relevant authorities to ensure that the proposed project is in line with the zoning laws and

standards. By the end of this milestone, the project team will have the set standards for the

project, the functions, size, goals, estimated costs, and expected benefits.

1.1.2 Review of requirements

This is the second milestone for our project and the review of all the requirements. We

will have several document reviews and meetings to review the requirements effectively. The

project team will also present the client with the defined project requirements, and if they agree,

the project shall have accomplished the second milestone.

1.1.3 Approval of design

This is the third and one of the most important milestones for our project. Our team will

review the proposed design together with the customer's needs. They will compare the proposed

design and solution with customer needs to ensure that there are the same as the design

objectives.

1.1.4 Project Execution

At this point, all the project requirements are ready, and it is time to start work on site.

The project team now puts the project plan into motion, and the preliminary onsite works begin.

The project manager has to maintain control of the project and effectively communicate with the

team.

1.1.5 Phase Milestones

These are some of the final works that will be done on the project as it is nearing

completion. Some of the project's activities at this point include installing roofing, windows,

plumbing, plastering and electrical works.

1.1.6 Project Handover

Project handover is our project's final milestone and marks the project's completion. At

this point, we will conduct extensive testing and inspection to ensure that the project meets all

the requirements and is ready for use by the client. All stakeholders must agree that the project

met all the requirements and has been completed before handing it over to the client.
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1.2 Project deliverables

The federal government tasked our team to construct 25 residential housing units for civil

servants in Greenland. We will work to ensure that the project meets the set government

standards for these housing units.

For this housing construction project, we expect that there will be some changes in the

project plan, the design or the drawing that might affect the outcome of the project later on. This

change management plan aims to identify the expected changes and define them.

1.3 Change management Plan

1.3.1 Definition of changes

Construction is a highly decentralized industry in most parts of the world. In some

countries, most construction firms employ few people, mostly not more than ten. Also,

excluding some large contractors, most of the construction contractors' capacity is

decentralized, for example, speciality crafts and structural design. Due to the complexities of

the construction business, project management faces several unique challenges not found in

other industrial sectors. These challenges include the team having several players in several

locations, the project-based supply chain, which is short-term, different techniques for

costing and project management, the unique need for managing the project documents and

legal contracts and the need to extend the scope to include the life-cycle usage and

maintenance. Because of all these complexities, sometimes, during the project, there might

be a need for change to add or remove some requirements and specifications that were not

included in the project plan during conceptualization. The change management plan should
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identify all the deviations from the project plan and specifications and provide a criterion for

project authorization and technical review.

Even though changes in a project may cause issues such as construction delays, cost

overruns and dissatisfaction by the client, they are always inevitable, and that is why the

project management personnel must develop the most effective way to deal with them. For

this change management plan to be effective, it must cover most, if not all, of the issues that

may necessitate a change in a construction project. Some of these issues are design errors,

omissions in design or engineering specs, lack of coordination between key project

stakeholders, poor artistry, ineffective project planning, regulatory issues, financial

challenges and addition of requirements.

1.3.2 Types of changes

Any construction project must witness changes implemented effectively to meet the

client's requirements. These changes may arise from various sources, caused by several factors at

any project stage. Without proper planning, these changes can have significant adverse effects on

the project, including; schedule delays and cost increments. Sometimes some critical changes

result in issues such as; re-estimation of work needed for additional equipment, labour and

supplies. Also, without a proper change management plan, changes can lead to contract disputes,

leading to project failure. We don't want such issues in our project, which is why this risk

management plan is essential.

The residential housing construction project is big; therefore, we must have a

comprehensive change management plan covering all possible changes. This section lists all the

possible changes that might occur during the project.

(i) Changes in specifications.

Sometimes, the client may request some changes to the specifications of the project.

Also, the architect may change some parts of architectural drawings or designs. Even though

these changes can affect design and construction processes, it is essential to implement them

effectively. For this change, our project team will review the required documentation before

proceeding further into the construction process.

(ii) Changes in design

Design changes are also significant to the project and may have massive changes on the

project's outcome. Some issues that may lead to design changes include design errors,

incomplete drawings, omission of buildability and site conditions and changes in regulations.

(iii) Changes in construction

There are situations where implementation changes may be necessary since what was in

the design and the drawing may not be what is actually onsite. The As-builts may not conform

with the As-design and thus may need some reviews. Also, there might be some quality defects

caused by unanticipated site conditions. Sometimes the machines or materials needed for the

work may not be available, which may necessitate the need for change in the construction

process.

The change management plan has to be developed to help us anticipate all these changes

and develop a course of action for them regardless of the stage in the project where they occur.
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1.4 Change process

Since the primary purpose of a change plan is to initiate owner adjustments and design omissions

and mistakes principal, it is essential to develop a good change process to manage the changes

effectively. Even though changes in a construction process may adversely impact the project and

result in cost and time overruns, proper management may bring benefits to the stakeholders and

the client. To effectively manage this project's anticipated and unanticipated changes, we (The

Deone Construction limited) developed a change process.

The first step in the change process is submitting a change request. Through this, the

team members and key stakeholders will easily and effectively request changes in any

construction process step. Any team member who requests a change must complete and submit a

Change Request Form. In the Change request form, they must indicate the change they request

and the deliverables, scope, milestones and timeline. The CRF will include a summary of the

proposed change's description, justifications, benefits to the project, costs associated with

implementing it, its impacts and approvals for the change.

Change request review is the second step in the change management process. The project

manager will evaluate the change request form after receiving it from the change requestor and

decide whether or not the Change Approval team needs to conduct a detailed feasibility study to

evaluate the change's impact. The project manager will decide based on the number of change

possibilities the change requestor offered, the magnitude of the suggested change and the

complexity of the required change. The project manager will then enter the CRF's specifics into

the Change Log before determining whether it requires a feasibility study.

The third step in the change process is the identification of change feasibility. If

necessary, the team will conduct a feasibility study to ascertain whether the requested change is

viable. The prerequisites for the change, alternative changes, advantages and costs of making

the change, risks involved, the effects of the change, and suggestions will all be shown in the

feasibility study. The CRF, the feasibility analysis or study that the control manager approved,

and any other supporting paperwork should be included in the change documentation that the

project manager submits to the change approval team after completing the feasibility test.

Change request approval is the fourth step of the change process. After receiving the

CRF, the change approval team will evaluate it formally. There are several decisions that the

change requestor can expect from the change approval team; declining the change, requesting

additional information on the change, approving it at its current state or authorizing the change

subject to certain restrictions. The change approval team will make their final decision based on

several factors, including; the risks the project could face as a result of implementing the change,

the risks the project could face by not implementing the change, and the impact it would have on

the project timeline, cost and quality. Finally, when the change approval team decides to approve

the change, the project manager develops a timeline for the implementation of the change.

Before implementing the change, the project manager and his team must test it, go ahead and

implement it, review and convey its success, and finally close the change into the change log.
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Not every modification made during the building of the residential housing units project

will need to follow a formal change management procedure. The project manager must know

how crucial it is to determine the change's scope since the change management process largely

depends on it. The project manager will effectively make better project decisions by analyzing

the size of the project, budget, and main deliverables. Good project management leads to the

effectiveness of most the change management process. The project manager adopted most

techniques from the Project Management Institute (PMI) when developing the change

management process. By using these techniques, the project manager will ensure that the project

management procedure used in the project is well-supported and will run without a hitch in the

event of a change. Some of the team members may wish to stay away from change management

procedures. It is, therefore, necessary for the project manager to communicate the value, need for

change and the change procedures to his team.

1.5 Change Control Board (CCB)

A change control board is one of the essential elements of any project management

system. The change control board consists of several stakeholders, including a project team

representative, a client or customer representative, functional management representative, and a

representative for groups with related products. The group regularly meet to discuss and consider

the proposed changes to a project. The board makes decisions on whether a change request is

viable through a detailed analysis of the provided change information. Control board members

depend on the project's type and complexity (Koeneke, 2022). Our project has a change control

board (CCB) consisting of a change manager, project assistant, project manager, board members,

change initiator and an approver.

The board is responsible for analyzing change requests in detail and making decisions

based on their findings. The changes mostly deviate from the initial specifications established at

the time of approval of the project plan. The change board regularly convene meetings to discuss

the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed change. It is, therefore, crucial to establish a change

control board that includes all the project stakeholders: end-users and team members.

1.5.1 Roles and responsibilities of CCB members.

For our project, we will have a CCB with the following members.

(i) The Manager

The manager is the be the leader of the board. He will coordinate all the activities of the

board and oversee all the aspects of change that the board will be working towards effecting the

project. The manager will always prioritize change requests and oversee the assessment and

implementation of changes once approved by the board. He will also document the plans to

implement approved changes and chair CCB meetings.

(ii) Change approvers

Change approvers are essential change control board members since the proposed

changes will not be implemented without them. They have the final say regarding whether the

board will approve or reject a change. The response may come from an individual, frequently a

manager or executive, but it may also rest with the change control board so they can decide

jointly. The change approvers for our project's change management will work closely with the

manager to ensure that the change management system works effectively.

(iii) Other project stakeholders

The CCB will also include other project stakeholders like the client and functional

management representatives. The central role of these stakeholders is to attend CCB meetings to

witness and push for changes so that the final project deliverable will be under the client's

specifications.

(iv) Project team members

Project team members must be on the change control board since they are the ones who

request and submit changes to the board. For our change management, we will have a

representative of the project members who will receive and document change requests by other

team members. They will also help justify why proposed changes will benefit the project.

Another responsibility they have is implementing changes, responding to all issues related to

changes and monitoring changes.

1.6 Threshold levels

Although changes may be necessary for the project, decision making whether to

implement or reject specific changes depends on their flexibility and the effect on the project; it

is essential to categorize the changes depending on their impacts and flexibility (Grist Project

Management, 2022). These categories are known as thresholds and help create a balance

between the flexibility of the changes and their impacts on the project.

Our project will have two thresholds for change: the lowest and highest threshold. The

lowest threshold will deal with changes that do not require formal approval and don't affect

project cost, schedule and deliverables. Although the project team can approve these changes,

they will still have to document them. The next category is the highest threshold which is
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changes that may affect project cost, functionality, schedule and formal approval. The change

control board will mainly focus on these high threshold changes.

1.7 Conclusion

The whole change management process is vital for successfully constructing the 25

residential housing units project in Greenland. A well-designed process will help the project

manager be a step ahead regarding effective management of how changes will impact the project

and make it easier to assess the level of risks involved. It is crucial to ensure that the project

manager develops a change management system along with the change management plan for

effective project managementt. The change control board will help the project manager identify,

analyze, conduct a feasibility study and establish viable changes before implementing them.

Also, to help the project avoid implementing changes that will adversely affect the costs,

schedule and deliverables, it is essential to categorize the proposed changes depending on their

effects on the project.

References

Grist Project Management. (2022). Change thresholds and change

boards. https://www.gristprojectmanagement.us/functions/change-thresholds-and-

change-boards.html

Koeneke, B. (2022). Change control board: Roles, responsibilities & processes.

ProjectManager. https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/change-control-board-roles-

responsibilities-processes