Change Control on the PMP: Predictive vs Agile, Step by Step

Change questions are some of the easiest points on the PMP once you know the pattern. Almost all of them test one thing: do you follow the process for the approach the project uses?

Predictive: integrated change control

In a predictive project, changes to scope, schedule, cost or other baselines follow a formal process:

1. Receive the change request in writing and record it in the change log.
2. Analyse the impact on scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk and resources.
3. Identify options, if there is more than one way to respond.
4. Submit to the change control board (CCB) or whoever has authority to approve.
5. If approved, update the project management plan, baselines and documents.
6. Communicate the decision to stakeholders.
7. Implement the change and verify it.

The step the exam tests most is 2: analyse the impact first. Before anything goes to the board, you must understand what the change will cost.

Who approves?

• The change control board (or the sponsor) approves changes to baselines.
• The project manager can approve only changes within their documented authority, as set out in the change management plan.
• The customer cannot bypass the process, no matter how senior.

Agile: change through the backlog

Agile projects welcome change, but they still manage it:

• New requests go to the product owner, who adds them to the product backlog and prioritises them.
• Changes are generally not added to the current sprint. The sprint goal is protected.
• Priorities can change freely between sprints.

So in agile, the "change process" is backlog refinement and prioritisation, not a change control board.

Hybrid projects

Hybrid projects often use both. Fixed elements, such as a contract budget or a regulatory deadline, may still need formal change control, while the detailed feature list is managed through the backlog. Read the question for clues about which part of the project the change affects.

The traps

1. The customer asks a team member directly for a change. The team member should not just do it. The request goes through the change process (predictive) or to the product owner (agile).
2. A team member has already added an extra feature nobody asked for. This is gold plating. Even if the customer would like it, it bypassed the process. Assess the impact and handle it formally.
3. The answer says "implement the change, then inform the board." Never. Approval comes before implementation.
4. The answer says "reject the change". The project manager does not reject changes on their own either. They analyse and submit them.

Configuration management

Change control decides whether a change happens. Configuration management keeps track of versions of deliverables and documents so everyone works from the right one. On the exam, they work together: an approved change leads to an updated configuration.

Try a question

During execution of a predictive project, the customer's operations manager asks the project manager to add a new report to the system. It seems small. What should the project manager do first?

A. Ask the team to add the report, since it seems small.

B. Reject the request because scope is baselined.

C. Analyse the impact of the request on scope, schedule and cost.

D. Submit the request to the change control board for approval.

Answer: C. In a predictive project, the first step is to analyse the impact. D is the next step, after the analysis. A bypasses the process, and B rejects a change the project manager has no authority to reject alone.

Practice

Change questions often combine with stakeholders and agile roles. Read agile on the PMP, then try the free 30-question PMP quiz.