Organizational change is a complex undertaking. These change projects often coincide with other large transformation projects and may spiral out of control without a tracking process system.
However, with a change control process, change leaders can better manage all incoming change requests, analyze potential blockers, and drive successful implementation.
In this article, we explore the change control process, its stages, and how you can leverage one to create an effective change management strategy.
Change control refers to the systematic process of managing any modifications or adjustments made to a project, system, product, or service. This ensures that all proposed changes undergo a structured evaluation, approval, implementation, and documentation process.
Change control aims to maintain the integrity and consistency of a system or project by ensuring that changes are introduced in a controlled and coordinated way, minimizing potential risks and unintended negative consequences. It ensures that every change is justified, beneficial, and aligned with the overarching objectives and requirements.
The change control process should consider the scale and complexity of change for streamlining purposes. For example, change initiatives at scale – such as digital transformation – requires the support of multiple departments and team members, and have higher associated risks. Such initiatives require formalized and extensive control processes.
Although change control and change management are related terminologies, the two have significant differences.
Change control is part of the overall change management process. It’s the “how” of managing and implementing change.
While the change control process is essential for streamlining a change initiative and includes formal documentation of the change, change management is an overarching plan that considers all the various project aspects, from budgeting, to communication, to implementation and more. It’s more about the “why” and “what” – the reasoning behind instituting changes, the strategies used to implement them, and the tools and techniques used to support the process.
Related ResourcesDuring a change implementation project, the change control process provides several crucial benefits, including:
Research suggests that an average employee is only productive for three working hours a day. One of the major reasons for this behavior is unclear deliverables or a poorly managed execution process. Change control often rectifies this issue by reducing employee confusion on project deliverables, helping to improve overall employee productivity.
The change control process streamlines the implementation by documenting all the project details in a centralized location. It also helps provide clear team communication, allowing cross-functional teams to collaborate seamlessly on a change initiative.
Transparency in change management communication is critical to prepare your workforce for an upcoming change and to accept that change at both an individual & company-wide level. Effective change communication will allow you to deal head-on with various barriers to change and reduce internal resistance.
The change control process effectively reduces risks associated with a change initiative and minimizes the risk of change failure . The streamlined approach results in resource optimization and decreased project costs.
Especially relevant in more regulated industries, a change control process ensures that all changes adhere to certain standards and guidelines. By documenting each step of the process, organizations have a clear audit trail. This not only helps in demonstrating compliance during audits, but also provides a historical reference for future change initiatives.
Especially relevant in more regulated industries, a change control process ensures that all changes adhere to certain standards and guidelines. By documenting each step of the process, organizations have a clear audit trail. This not only helps in demonstrating compliance during audits, but also provides a historical reference for future change initiatives.
An effective change control process involves assessing and mitigating risks. Companies can avoid unwanted and unintended consequences by anticipating potential challenges and developing plans to address them. This proactive approach promotes business continuity and ensures that changes have a positive impact instead of causing disruption.
One of the most significant benefits of a change control process is its cyclical nature. After changes are implemented, change feedback is gathered and analyzed to ensure organizations are always evolving, refining, and improving their processes, systems, and strategies.
