Effective Issue and Change Control in Project Management | PRINCE2 Exam Prep

Ensuring Effective Issue and Change Control

Question

What needs to be in place to ensure effective issue and change control?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

Effective issue and change control is an essential aspect of project management. It involves the identification, documentation, tracking, and resolution of issues, as well as the management of changes to the project's scope, schedule, or budget. The success of issue and change control relies on several factors, and the options presented in the question are:

A. Configuration management system B. Manage by exception C. Quality planning D. Information needs for stakeholders.

Let's review each option:

A. Configuration management system:

Configuration management is the process of identifying and managing the functional and physical characteristics of a product or system throughout its life cycle. In the context of project management, configuration management includes the identification and management of project artifacts, such as project plans, schedules, and documentation. A configuration management system (CMS) is a set of tools, processes, and procedures used to manage project artifacts.

Effective issue and change control requires a robust CMS that can track changes to project artifacts, identify who made the changes, and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the changes. The CMS should also include version control, access control, and audit trails to ensure that project artifacts are managed effectively.

B. Manage by exception:

Manage by exception is a project management approach that focuses on monitoring the project's progress and intervening only when there are deviations from the plan. The project manager sets tolerances for each aspect of the project, such as cost, schedule, and scope, and only intervenes when the actual values exceed these tolerances.

Manage by exception is relevant to issue and change control because it ensures that the project manager is only involved in issues and changes that are outside of the project's tolerances. This approach allows the project manager to focus on critical issues and changes that have a significant impact on the project's success.

C. Quality planning:

Quality planning is the process of identifying the quality standards that are relevant to the project and determining how to meet those standards. Quality planning includes identifying the quality metrics that will be used to measure the project's success and developing a quality management plan that outlines how those metrics will be achieved.

Quality planning is relevant to issue and change control because it ensures that the project team is aware of the quality standards that need to be met and has a plan to meet those standards. Quality planning also ensures that the project team is aware of the quality metrics that will be used to measure success, which can help identify issues and changes that need to be made to improve the project's quality.

D. Information needs for stakeholders:

Effective communication is critical to issue and change control. Stakeholders need to be informed of any issues or changes that arise and how they will be addressed. Information needs for stakeholders refer to the information that stakeholders need to be informed and engaged in the project.

Information needs for stakeholders are relevant to issue and change control because stakeholders need to be informed of any issues or changes that arise and how they will be addressed. Stakeholders may also have input on how issues and changes are resolved, which can help ensure that the project meets their needs and expectations.

In summary, all of the options presented in the question are relevant to ensuring effective issue and change control. A robust CMS is essential to tracking and managing changes to project artifacts, manage by exception can help focus the project manager's attention on critical issues and changes, quality planning ensures that the project team is aware of the quality standards and metrics, and information needs for stakeholders are critical to effective communication and engagement.