change-control-process

Purpose

Establish and operate a disciplined change control process that evaluates proposed requirements changes, makes informed accept/reject/defer decisions, and tracks changes through implementation and verification.

Change is inevitable. The goal is not to prevent change but to make change visible, evaluated, and deliberate. Uncontrolled change is the leading cause of project failure. Overly rigid change control that blocks all modifications is the second leading cause. This workflow finds the balance.

Key Concepts

Change Request Lifecycle

Submitted -> Evaluated -> Approved  -> Implemented -> Verified -> Closed
                       -> Rejected  -> Closed
                       -> Deferred  -> (Re-evaluated next release)