Table of Contents

1. Introduction: 2
2. Change management: 2
3. Scope verification, closing & lesson learned: 4
4. Conclusion & Recommendation: 6
5. References: 7

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 1. Introduction:
Project works are of temporary endeavor and markedly different from the operationa1work
which organization performs on routine basis. Every project has a very short span of time with
limited resources, so the project manager needs to be vigilant in the utilization of the resources of
the project. This implies the vital and significant role of a project manager in the success of the
project. Empirica1evidences show that the more autonomy the project manager possesses, the
more is the success chance for the project (Gray and Larson, 2007). In this assignment I will
discuss the change management process and scope verification & lesson learned during the life
cycle of the project. Effective role of the project manager will also be discussed in these stages of
the project. The role of project manager cannot be neglected in the success of any project.

2. Change management:
Wanner defines Change Management as, it is a systematic and organized package of the
knowledge, resourcesof change, tools and techniques that equip the organizations with a key
process to accomplish the business strategy of organization. Change management is a systematic
approach that deals change from both perspectives, an organizational and on individual level.
The process of Change management is a well-planned approach that approaches change
from2two perspectives, on an organizational and individual level. Change management is the
process of obtaining approval to change the project scope, the schedule, or budget of the project.
A good project manager tries to make sure that the change management process goes smoothly
so that the success of the project is ensured.

2.1. As the projects kicks off, we come across certain changes on daily bases and
manage it to complete the tasks but there are some time big changes which effect the
project in a large scale. As discussed by Robert Phelps & Elizabeth Harrin, we discuss
the situations one by one that lead to change in project, as follows:

a) Incomplete or poorly defined requirements: This is one of the main

causes of change on projects when initially the project requirement is not defined
properly, then later it will impact the project. In the initial stage it is needed todefine the
requirements of the project very clear.

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 b) Change in stakeholder requirements or sponsorship: It happens
sometime that the stakeholders change their minds regarding scope, assumptions, or
project deliverables. This act can have an impact on project as an increase or decrease in
project scope, change timelines, and impact budgets.

c) Regulatory Change: When there is a new regulations or legislation introduced, this

can result in a change to project scope or requirements of the project that that be minor or
major. These changes are uncontrollable andcan have an adverse impact on projects.

d) Business Strategy Change: A strategic change of an organization may lead to

changes to the scope or requirements of the project. This could happen at ant time and
ifthe project is not supporting the business strategies of the organization, may lead to the
closure of the project.

e) Not Enough Resources: The lack of enough resources is one of the reasons of
change in the projects. This happens when you do not have proper resource planning at
the initial stage of the project at planning phase.

f) Scope error: The projects is also affected by poor scope management. Errors in the
scope of the project can delaythe project and it runs behind the schedule. The
deliverables of the project are completed ahead of the schedule planned. The project team
will go to change request as an incomplete WBS is used due to a project scope error.
Another problem can be regarding the schedule and budget of the project as a result of
not defining the scope of the project properly.

During the entire life cycle of the project, it’s the project manager who is responsible to monitor
all the tasks ofthe project and manage the change to complete the project as per schedule. The
project manager needs to make it sure that the deliverables of project is in accordance with the
scope of the project. The project manager must be vigilant and more accurate to tackle the
situations that lead to change in project. The manager needs to communicate the potential task
that may lead to change in the project and inform all the stakeholders and the project team
ontime. In every phase of the project the project manager needs to participate actively and
analyze the situation properly to understand the situation and plan it accordingly. The project

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manager always needs to have second option ready with him, where there are certain changes
that have possibly affect the project could be minimized by acting on time and effectively.

2.2. The project can be delayed due to many reasons and some reasons can be
minimized by having a proper plan. There are some reasons which are beyond our
contro1and can lead to delay in project, like weather condition in constructions, law and
order situation in the country, government policy changes. In the construction projects,
delays can happen for various reasons such weather, equipment failures, labor shortages,
missing or incorrect data, project mistakes and conflicts (Sujeebun, 2014).
Delay in the projects is not a new phenomenon and the impact of delay in project will
lead to have an impact on the cost and timing of the project. Some reasons of delay in IT
projects can be scope creep, ambiguities in the specifications, lack of assistance by the
customer, poorly drafted contracts, incompetent interface management, insufficient
qualified resources, limited access to the customers existing system and lack of
communication between the parties (Karakoc & Williams, 2016). The reasons of the
delay in project can varies from project to project depending on its nature. But there are
some genera1reasons which can be overcome by following the project management
standards and clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholders of the
project.

3. Scope verification, closing & lesson learned:

According to PMBOK scope verification is defined as the process of obtaining the stakeholder's
forma1acceptance of the project scope and associated deliverables. The project scope verification
process means that all the project related stakeholders have seen and properly accepted a version
of the scope which will be considered as the scope baseline for the project. Now the scope of the
project is put under scope change contro1and after this there will be no changes to the scope of
the project without going through the scope change control process. Performing scope
verification means that work results of the project and its deliverables are reviewed to make sure
that they meet with the scope definition that was accepted at the beginning of the project.

3.1. There are problems that may occurs with the scope of the project while defining
by the project manager. Those are discussed as below:

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a) Not including all the work: The scope management of project is a set of the
processes that make it sure all the required works of the project is included. Some time
the project managers takes little input from the stakeholders, which may result in missing
the key deliverables of the project. The project manager should insure to identify all the
required works by preparing WBS with the projects in consultation with other project
stakeholders.

b) Gold plating by including extra features: The project managers are

sometime used to commit mistakes when they include extra packages which are not in the
requirement of theproject. Project managers needs to act as guardian and closely monitor
the deliverables project requirements and other project related activities. The PM also
must carry out inquiry of project requirements with the main stakeholders of project.

c) Poor Alignment with Objectives and Goals: All the projects need to clearly
mention its goal, their deliverables at the end of project, any assumptions and the
constrain that the project have. Vague and ambiguous goals make it difficult to choose
the right activity for theproject. The approved version of the scope statement needs to be
reviewed by the project manager and check the activities that are performing accordingly.
3.2. Scope of the project is the main documents which provide us all the information
about the project requirement, its deliverables and time frame. Theproject manager needs
to spend enough time and efforts to make it accurate in consultation with all stakeholders
of the project. PM should also stick only to the works required for the project and
additional work or task needs to add until and unless it is required by the project.
Project is for a short period of time with limited resources and an ultimate objective to
achieve. During the life cycle of the project mistakes may occur and we cannot stop them
rather the PM must be enough vigilant to get the lesson learned from it. The lessons
learned should be a continuous effort throughout the life cycleof the project. The learned
lesson of the project is good for the team, the organization, existing and their future
projects. Lessons learned are form of documented information that give both the positive
and negative experiences of the project. The project manager needs to encourage to
document the lesson learned from day one of the project. We learn from the success of
the project and the failure as well. The learned lessons are used to identify the project

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 requirements and improve the process of project activities. If the project lessons are not
applied then the project will face the same situation of failure (Rowe, & Sikes, 2006).

4. Conclusion & Recommendation:

Project is a set of tasks to be formed within a limited time frame to achieve a certain objective
with limited resources. So, for this reason the project manager needs to be very much carefu1in
every stage of the project. A minor mistake or a n important aspect if missed can lead the project
towards failure. As discussed above in this assignment, the project manager must be very much
vigilant and careful while preparing the scope of the project. It is important to involve all the
stakeholders and make them accept the scope of the project when it is prepared. In this way the
project manager can run the project activities very smoothly. Change management is also vital to
manage very effectively to that its negative impact can be minimized and complete the project on
time. In a nutshell we can say that each step of project is crucial for the successful delivery of the
project final product.

For project manager a project is considered successful only if the customer accepts the project at
the end of the project. For this reason, it is necessary for the project manager to manage the
process of change management on time and very vigilantly. It is also recommended that the
project manager should only stick only to the tasks that are necessary for the project and don’t
include the tasks that are not required. Clear scope of the project is vita1and crucial, and it is the
roadmap of the project which is followed throughout the life cycle of the project.

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5. References:
Gray, C., & Larson, E. (2003). Project Management The managerial process. McGraw-Hill.

Karakoc, M., & Williams, E. (2016). Delays in IT Projects and Delay Analysis.

Phelps, R., & Harrin, E. (n.d.). Causes of Project Change.

PMBOK. (n.d.). Project Management Body of Knowledge Book, 7th Edition.

Rowe, S., & Sikes, S. (2006). Lessons learned: taking it to the next level. Paper presented at PMI®
Global Congress 2006.

Sujeebun, S. (2014). What are the causes of delay in projects? https://www.researchgate.net.

Wanner, M. (2013). Integrated change management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress
2013.