A change control system includes the documentation, tracking systems, and approval levels necessary for authorizing changes. It includes the paperwork, tracking systems, processes, and approval levels necessary for authorizing changes." In practice, this describes a way of determining how the project manager will deal with changes and also a way of tracking whether the changes have been accepted. If you don't write the changes down and make them a permanent part of the project record, problems will probably occur later. Make sure you keep track of changes. If you do not have the information about how you, the project manager, should deal with changes, then meet with functional managers and the sponsor to get this information recorded.
One of the systems that you need to put in place immediately upon beginning the execution of a planned project is a Change Control Board. This group is the one through which all changes to the project are channeled. It is not always necessary to have a CCB, particularly on fairly small projects. But as the projects get larger, it is important to have a board that controls changes.
Who is on the CCB? The first person on the CCB is always the project manager of the project. You do not want to have changes going on as a project manager without the capacity to give input into how the changes will affect the project. If possible, you should include the sponsor. This may be problematic if the sponsor is a high-ranking manager in the organization who does not really have the time to look at each change. In that case, get someone to represent the sponsor. It is also possible that a project manager may be able to sign off on changes up to a certain dollar amount or a certain time span. If the change in question goes above the approved dollar or time amount, the sponsor or the sponsor's representative should be on the CCB.
Often technical experts are included on a CCB. For an IT project, several functions are needed to complete a project. You may choose someone from marketing or someone from development to sit on your CCB if his or her particular expertise is useful.