Contents
Key Context
Change records — sometimes called change orders, change requests, or variation notices depending on organizational terminology — are the documentation produced when a project's approved baseline is altered. They are among the most governance-sensitive documents in the project record because they capture the moments when an organization decided to depart from its original plan.
What a Change Record Is
A change record documents: the nature of the proposed change; the reasons for it; the impact of the change on scope, schedule, budget, or other parameters; the options considered; and the authorization granted for the change to proceed. Well-constructed change records create a contemporaneous account of why a project's baseline shifted and who approved the shift.
In practice, the formality and completeness of change records varies widely. Some organizations require formal change control processes with multi-level approval; others permit informal change authorization through email or meeting minutes. The governance quality of the resulting record depends substantially on which approach is applied and how consistently.
The Governance Role of Change Records
Change records serve several governance functions. They prevent unauthorized scope expansion by creating a formal gate through which all changes must pass. They protect the organization in the event of disputes about what was originally agreed and what was subsequently modified. And they create the historical record through which lessons about project deviation can be identified and applied to future projects.
For oversight bodies, a complete change record history allows reviewers to assess whether changes were appropriately authorized, whether cumulative changes exceeded the original parameters of the project in ways that should have triggered re-authorization, and whether the reasons given for changes at the time were consistent with subsequent developments.
What This Article Does Not Cover
- Named projects or organizations
- Legal obligations specific to any sector
- Financial analysis