As a management consultant, you have been brought in to help a company or department that is in disarray. You have a plan to get the company out of debt, get processes running smoother and increase employee efficiency. This plan has worked time and time again so you go into the job feeling confident. Things might be humming along great for the first few weeks and then you get an email… “Can we change this?, Can we move this around?” You start to feel panicky because nobody has ever questioned your strategies and management style before and you don’t know what to do.

This is where having some sort of scope change control process would come in handy. Having these procedures in place will ease the burden on you when it comes to making important changes in processes or scope of the project. These charts essentially map out the changes in manpower, resources, time, and money that it will take to successfully accomplish the change, allowing you as a management consultant to rest easier, knowing that those who requested the change are fully aware of the effect it will have on the results of the project.

With this information documented and hopefully signed, you essentially have what amounts to a “new contract” that includes the changes in the scope of the project. You will no longer be responsible for adhering to the old budget, as long as it is documented that you stated that these changes will require more monies, time, etc.