Change control is one of those tasks the project manager must do but usually hates to perform. It's never easy. It can require an iron fist mentality and the willingness to take a hard line with the very customer you are trying to satisfy. Sort of a Catch 22. It can result in increased revenue, but always at the expense of a customer that needs the change to meet a business process need or requirements clarification. It can increase project profitability, but only if you are very accurate in your effort planning and estimation because it can quickly decrease project profitability. It will almost always result in a longer implementation time because more work is required – not that you're missing a deadline because the work is required, but it will always feel like you're missing a deadline. You can win, but it often feels like you're losing, too.

Delivering the right solution. Without proper change control and scope management in place, we run the risk of delivering the wrong solution. How? Because if the customer requirements call for 'x' and we allow that to morph into 'y' because of small changes the customer may think are good then when it comes time to test, the solution being tested won't match the requirements. And if no change orders were drawn up to cover the small changes requested by the client, there is no trail to test against. So which is really right – the requirements or or the solution that is being tested but doesn't match the requirements? And does anyone really know?

Profitability. If those changes are made – and if they are the right ones, then the solution being tested is right. But because no changes were tracked via scope management and change orders, additional project revenue was not realized for that work and timeframes weren't extended due to the extra tasks happening to make that work possible. What suffers then? Profitability. You still did the work, but you didn't add revenue and therefore those costs associated with the work just hit the project budget without bringing any further dollars with it. Added cost without added revenue equals decreased project profitability.

Staying on schedule. The same holds true for schedule. Adding tasks to do the work, but not adding any time to the project schedule as a result of a change order, means you'll get the work done but you won't likely be able to deliver the project on schedule. Especially not if you need to test adequately and do everything you planned to do on the project. Those tasks that were added to do the out of scope work have to hit somewhere and the timeline takes a hit with those activities.

Minimizing change orders. Good change control means you can bring potential changes up to the project client as they become obvious. Good scope discussion with your project customer will result in wise change order decisions on what we should allow to affect the project and what isn't really necessary. If they client knows what is a change and what isn't – because you're doing a good job managing scope – then they can make wise choices on potential changes. Some are going to obviously be necessary...some will be deemed luxuries and tossed aside.

Summary / call for input

It's never fun to be the one who has to yell “out of scope!” to the client and come running with an expensive change order to sign. Just like it's not fun to be the parent who does most of the disciplining in the family. But it has to be done or you'll soon have a mess on your hands. How about our readers? How good are you at managing scope? Do you hate it? What tips and tricks can you share that make scope management easier?

Coming February 1st - new content on the best Project Management tools, software, sites, exam preps and services to use in 2019 for all you project management related needs? Have a software or service that is new or top notch that should be included? Contact me. 2019 is the year of PM best practices - let's do this right! Email me your product description or details and for more info on how to be included.

When your health takes a turn for the worst, what do you do? You go to the doctor, right? Well, not everyone does, but you should...and most do. It depends on the warning signs, I guess.

Medical scares are real...don't ignore them

My oldest daughter is pregnant with her first child and going through a difficult pregnancy. She has very similar symptoms to what happened with my wife (her mother) on her first pregnancy. My wife was admitted to the hospital, spent three weeks there on IV's, got the meds and fluids she needed to keep some foods down and gain back some of the extreme weight she had lost and she eventually concluded the pregnancy with a very healthy baby that happens to be our oldest son and biggest supporter of my alma mater Iowa Hawkeyes back in Iowa City (Go Hawks!). My daughter finally agreed to head to the hospital and now after about a week in there she's almost ready to come home...and she's feeling quite a bit better.

A good friend and colleague recently had a medical scare – sort of a mini-stroke / warning stroke that usually doesn't cause any injury as long as you recognize it and get treatment fast. He did – thanks to his very observant and fast acting wife – and now his likelihood of an actual follow-up stroke is greatly reduced because he got treatment quickly.

Why am I saying this? Because doctors are important! No, that's not why...but they are. So don't be stupid!

How this all relates to project management

Actually, the point I'm trying to make is this...we get warning signs all the time in our lives – personally and professionally...it's what we do with them that can determine how badly or much they affect us and what happens next. Your brakes squeak...replace them. If you don't, you'll also be replacing your rotators and it will cost four times as much. The meat in your fridge smells bad...don't use it. If you do, you'll be...well...you'll be real sorry, trust me.

On our projects that we manage, there are warning signs as well. Project financials that start to go south...first 5% over budget, then 12%, then 27% after a couple more months....are very real. If you ignore the early warning signs, you may find yourself down the road too far on your project to take any meaningful corrective action. How about a vendor that you're using on the project to deliver equipment over several months for major project? The first delivery is two days late. The next one is five days late. The third one may be on time, but the fourth one is three weeks late and you're expecting several more deliveries from this vendor. If you don't take action – and quickly – you're going to find yourself with major delays or possibly even a situation where you can no longer get any deliveries from this vendor due to whatever issues they may be going through on their side of the project.

What I'm saying here is this...these are big warning signs and they are only two examples out of potentially hundreds I could come up with. Yes, so many things can go wrong, but we still need to be aware, plan, and be ready to act or react...and sooner rather than later. How do we do this? Well, it's basically risks that are lingering out there that are actually coming to fruition and threatening the well-being of our projects, correct? So the basis of this is good risk planning. So many times we procrastinate, minimize, or even outright avoid risk planning. Bad choice. While we can't plan for all risks we can plan for major ones based on our experiences, our teams joint experiences, and our project customer's experiences and business environment. All of these play a major part in our risk planning and management process. We should, at a minimum...

• Brainstorm with the team on major potential risks
• Bullet point some response steps to each potential risk
• Identify an estimated likelihood that the risk will occur
• Assess the potential damage the risk could cause
• Swear to revisit this risk list at least monthly (preferably weekly) on the project

Being proactive is of huge benefit to our health and to our projects. And at the very least we often get some sort of warning sign that tells us something is different...something is amiss. Only a fool overlooks those warning signs as nothing to be alarmed about. Check it out...the worst thing that could happen is actually the best thing...you could be wrong and you just go back to the status quo.

Summary / call for input

Risk management...risk planning. Those dirty words we hate to hear. It takes time and money. But really, it can be done in 30 minutes with the right focus. 30 minutes of risk discussion may help you and your team avoid a $50,000 oops later down the road on the project.

How about our readers? How many of you are good about risk planning? How many of you have missed a warning sign on your project, lived to tell about it, and care to share it with the rest of us? Let's share our risk and issue experiences and discuss.

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Read Cheetah's Recent Blog Post Relating to Conflict Resolution Skills in Project Management

Understanding the Role of Expectations in Conflict
12/01/2018 07:18

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT "As Project Management Professionals (PMPs), we learn the critical importance of managing stake holder expectations.   “Managing” expectations though feels a bit like manipulation (which has some seriously negative connotations).  While it is important to understand another’s expectations, “managing” them is a far more difficult task.  Sometimes even an impossible […]"

by JOSEPH ZUCKER from the Bleacher Report

DECEMBER 2, 2018

Note from Brad Egeland - I'm loving this as my wife and I have 11 children! I had no idea that Rivers had that many kids...

CARSON, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers on the sidelines in the second half of the game against the Denver Broncos at StubHub Center on November 18, 2018 in Carson, California.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and his wife Tiffany are expecting their ninth child, ESPN.com's Eric Williams reported Sunday.

Tiffany Rivers gave birth to their eighth child in October 2015. During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show in September, Philip indicated he and his wife were happy to have more children.

His wife's pregnancy adds to an exciting time for Rivers. The 36-year-old has thrown for 3,119 yards and 26 touchdowns heading into Sunday night's pivotal AFC showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 8-3 Chargers are on pace to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Between Philip, Tiffany and their soon-to-be nine children, the Rivers family will be able to build an entire offense—presumably with Philip under center.

If you happen to receive an invitation from the Rivers family to compete in a Turkey Bowl around Thanksgiving, you've been forewarned.