Support Central
Change events capture change to the approved budget, forecasts, and upstream and downstream contracts. Managing change in one place makes it easier to ensure you captured all the information.
Change events are used to document and manage both the budget and cost impact of changes to the currently approved scope of a project, and potential or future changes. This lets you see what might happen if changes occur and gives you a place to plan for future changes so that you:
One way of thinking about this is:
There is "approved scope" and "possible future scope" areas of the system that, when things are approved, they move from potential/future to approved.
Change events can be used to manage changes to:
The change management process for a project may be very simple or complex, depending on the size and complexity of the change. A 'two-cycle' process for managing a change is often undertaken to authorize a change, one cycle to process the budget impact of the change (upstream), and one cycle to process the cost impact of the change (downstream).
When a change is identified and expected to proceed, a change event is created to capture the impact on the budget and cost of a project. The budget impact is often approved prior to the cost of the change being approved. Once the budget has been agreed upon, the process to approve the cost impact can proceed.
By separating the statuses for the budget impact and cost impact of a change event, the management of a 'two-cycle' change process is greatly improved. The Budget Status determines how the budget for the project is impacted and the Cost Status determines how the cost of the project is impacted.
The new separate statuses are available for both the entire change event and for the change event items. Changing the parent level status event triggers item status to update, as they did previously.
The value of the Cost Status field determines the impact on all cost related columns (Downstream) in the worksheet and the value of the Budget Status field impacts only budget related columns (Upstream) in the cost worksheet.
Change events have several built-in statuses that can be selected at either the change event or item level. The statuses control how the change information is presented in other parts of the application i.e. approved change event items affect the approved budget. Change events have a separate status that controls the cost and budget.
You have identified a potential change to the project and are in the initial phase of evaluating it and defining the budget and/or cost impact. You are beginning to define which Control Accounts, Control Elements, and Contracts will be affected, and are documenting your initial estimate of the impact.
You have more confidence that the change will be something that must be done and have more certainty of the budget and/or cost impact. You are collecting additional estimates for budget and/or cost impact and want to have the amounts reflected on the Cost Worksheet.
You are actively evaluating and documenting the impact of the change to the budget and/or cost, the Control Accounts, Control Elements, and Contracts affected. This status allows for partial approval of the Change Event.
You have finalized the impact of the change to the budget and/or cost, the Control Accounts, Control Elements, and Contracts affected, and are preparing to create the formal Contract Changes for the approved items.
The definition, evaluation, and disposition of the Change Event is complete. Amounts are still reflected on the Cost Worksheet.
You have decided not to move forward with the change(s) defined and the amounts are no longer reflected on the Cost Worksheet.
Having separate statuses for the individual change event items associated with a change event allows you to process and approve the individual change items as you see fit.
Planning
As with the Change Event status of the same name, you have identified a potential change that will have a budget and/or cost impact. You are beginning to define which control accounts, control elements, and contracts will be affected, and are documenting your initial estimate of the impact.
Budget change and cost change amounts are not reflected on the cost worksheet.
Potential
Budget change and cost change amounts are reflected on the cost worksheet.
Approved
Budget change and cost change amounts are reflected on the cost worksheet.
Canceled
Budget change and cost change amounts are not reflected on the cost worksheet.
