Project Execution and Control: Change Request and Scope Creep

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of project execution and control, focusing on change management, change request forms, and scope creep within a software project context. It explores the impact of changes on project time, cost, and quality, along with associated risks like resistance to change and scope creep. The report includes a detailed examination of a change request form, outlining the process of submitting, analyzing, and approving changes. It also defines scope creep, its causes, and techniques for managing it, emphasizing the importance of proper planning, documentation, and communication. The conclusion highlights the necessity of effective planning and communication to successfully implement changes and mitigate risks, ultimately contributing to project success.

Running head: PROJECT EXECUTION AND CONTROL
Project Execution and Control
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
1. Impact of change in a Project..........................................................................................2
2. Options and Associated risks...........................................................................................3
3. The Change Request Form..............................................................................................3
4. Scope Creep.....................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Change management is an approach of dealing with the transformation or change in the
goal of an organization. The process of change management takes in consideration the impact of
the adjustments made to the existing processes of the organization. Documentation therefore is
an important part of change management. It is a plan that guides an organization in successful
adoption of a change with an aim of driving the organization to success. The report discusses the
impact of change management in time, cost and quality of a project along with the associated
risk.
1. Impact of change in a Project
Considering a software project that requires change management, it can be assumed that
the change to be incorporated will need an extra five days. For implementing the change, along
with the change in schedule, an extra task might be pushed into the project that will have a
considerable effect on the time, cost and quality of the same. However, a change is incorporated
in the project in order to improve the quality of the project and therefore, it is expected that the
change implemented will have a positive impact on the project (Nastase, Giuclea & Bold, 2012).
Implementation of a change in an ongoing project indicates addition of an extra task into the
project, which will require an additional cost (Schwalbe, 2015). Implementation of a change in
the project is expected to change the project schedule as well.
Management of change within an organization is a complex task and therefore need
proper management. Use of different change management tools helps in managing and
implementing the change within an organization. Two major change management tools include
use of a checklist and process map and a change request form for proposing and managing a

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change. Having a proper communication plan is an important aspect of change management as
communicating the change to the team members is important for successful implementation of
the required change in a project (Hornstein, 2015).
2. Options and Associated risks
The different options to satisfy the change request include determining the scope of the
change along with the evaluation of scope of incorporating the change in the project. After
evaluation of the scope it is necessary to draft the change request from to be approved and
communicated among the project team members.
The different risks associated with implementation of a change in a project are as
follows-
1. Resistance to change: Often it is found that the project team members are resistant to
any change that is incorporated while the project is in its execution phase (Cavalcanti et al.,
2014).
2. Scope creep: scope creep is another risk that is associated with the change in
management.
3: Risk in costs due to project delays, missed milestones and budget overruns, due to
which the project fails to deliver the expected results (Hu et al., 2013).
However, if the change management is applied effectively, it is possible to mitigate all
the risks that are associated with the project. An improper change request or change management
has a negative impact on the customers as well (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).
3. The Change Request Form

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1.) SUBMITTER - GENERAL INFORMATION
CR# 01
Type of CR  Enhancement Defect
Submitter Name Project Manager
Brief Description of
Request
The change is to be implemented in the testing phase which
includes change in the code to make the application more user
friendly.
Date Submitted 01/20/2018
Priority Low Medium High  Mandatory
Reason for Change The testing phase unveiled the presence of certain bugs in the code
of the software to be developed that might have a great impact on
the users’ experience with the application. Hence a change request
is initiated for improving the software before release.
Assumptions and Notes It is assumed that the requested change will have a little impact on
the project schedule as the an extra 5 days will be required to
implement the change.
Comments This change cannot be implemented after project release as some
important modification is needed to be done in the project code.

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Approval Signature [Approval Signature] Date
Signed
[mm/dd/yyyy]
2.) PROJECT MANAGER - INITIAL ANALYSIS
Hour Impact 60hrs
Duration Impact 5Days
Cost Impact Additional $5000 is required
Comments The change required is although not huge, but it is mandatory since
customer satisfaction is an important aspect of a business.
Recommendations Proper communication is necessary for implementing the change that
is propose.
Approval Signature [Approval Signature] Date Signed [mm/dd/yyyy]
3.) CHANGE CONTROL BOARD – DECISION
Decision
Approved
 Approved with
Conditions Rejected
More
Info
Decision Date 03/05/18

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Decision Explanation The change request plan has been approved by the board with the
condition that no further delay will be accounted for the project.
Approval Signature [Approval Signature] Date Signed 03/05/18
4. Scope Creep
Scope creep generally refers to the changes, continuous or uncontrollable growth in the
scope of the project at any point of time after the project has started its execution. Scope creep
generally occurs in a project when the project scope is not properly defined or controlled before
the project execution. In short it indicates how the requirements of a project tend to increase over
a project life cycle (Suma & LakshmiMadhuri 2013).
The techniques involved in managing the scope creep include understanding and
documenting the scope identified for the project in the initial stages of the project. The project
should further include a process for changing of the scope if needed. This should define the
process of requesting and implementing a change in a project.
Use of different project management software for managing the scope creep along with a
proper communication plan is major tools that are used for managing the scope creep of a project
(Thakurta, 2013).
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that in order to implement a change in a project, proper
planning and communication is necessary. Change request can be implemented when a change in

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project processes benefits the successful implementation of the same. Proper identification of
project requirements might help in managing the scope creep associated with a project.

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References
Cavalcanti, Y. C., Mota Silveira Neto, P. A., Machado, I. D. C., Vale, T. F., Almeida, E. S., &
Meira, S. R. D. L. (2014). Challenges and opportunities for software change request repositories:
a systematic mapping study. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 26(7), 620-653.
Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change
management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298.
Hu, Y., Zhang, X., Ngai, E. W. T., Cai, R., & Liu, M. (2013). Software project risk analysis
using Bayesian networks with causality constraints. Decision Support Systems, 56, 439-449.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Nastase, M., Giuclea, M., & Bold, O. (2012). The impact of change management in
organizations-a survey of methods and techniques for a successful change. Revista de
Management Comparat International, 13(1), 5.
Schwalbe, K. (2015). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Suma, V., & LakshmiMadhuri, K. (2013). Influence of Scope Creep on Project Success:
AComparative Study between Conventional ApproachVerses Agile Approach. In IEEE
International Conference on Advanced research in Engineering and Technology (ICARET).
Thakurta, R. (2013). Impact of Scope Creep on Software Project Quality. Vilakshan: The XIMB
Journal of Management, 10(1).