Plan and track a change order

You may create a change order before making a change, enabling you to properly plan, assign, and track all related activities as change tasks. The selected change approval template may also predefine some actions as part of the change order process.

Use the Task Planning tab to define the required activities for the change order. This tab may already include entries from the selected change approval template. Like with change requests, the change coordinator may define, modify, remove, or add activities to ensure successful completion of the change. You can extend or adjust any entries provided by the template.

Each row in the Task Planning tab defines an activity. You must enter an alphanumeric ID, an Assignee, and a Target Completion Date for each activity. Optionally, you can specify dependencies using the Depends On column to determine the order in which activities should be completed.

You can also use the Reference Items or Items To Change columns to select relevant items. The system subsequently copies these items to the generated change tasks when you move the change order workflow to the Perform Change state. You can add items after creating the tasks; use the Update Tasks workflow action to update the tasks.

If you select a reviewer for a task, the resulting change task will require review before it can be completed. You can also specify planned effort for each task, which helps compare planned versus actual effort and aligns with effort estimates from the Change Request (see the Effort Tracking chapter for details).

Generate change tasks

The system uses the information in the Task Planning tab to create matching change tasks when you move the change order to the Perform Change status using the Initiate Tasks workflow action. When you initiate tasks, the system does the following:

• Calculates Target Start Dates based on the Target Completion Date and any dependencies in the Depends On column. This also determines the Target Duration and Days Remaining.
• Creates change tasks for each entry in the Task Planning tab and places them in the Change Tasks workspace. Each task receives a number in the format <CT> - <CR number> - <ID> – <Title>, making them easy to identify.
• Includes links to these tasks in the Task column at the far right of the Task Planning tab.
• Adds tasks to the Schedule tab according to their Target Start and Completion Dates.

Complete change tasks

When change tasks are generated, the system assigns only tasks without dependencies to their assignees, who receive email notifications and see the tasks in their My Outstanding Work list. The system initiates dependent tasks only after their prerequisite tasks are complete. The change order overall will not proceed until all change tasks are complete.

Once all tasks are complete, the change order automatically transitions to the Results Review status, enabling the coordinator to review task outcomes. If further actions are needed, the coordinator can add more entries to the Task Planning tab and initiate them using the Initiate Additional Tasks workflow action. The coordinator can also use the Update Tasks transition to update existing tasks or add new ones to the schedule.

The Task Planning tab always lists tasks that are still due. When you complete a change task, the system removes its entry from the Task Planning tab, making it easy to track change implementation. Note that you cannot use the Submit to CCB (Fast Track) option if you have defined tasks in the Task Planning tab. The system prevents this and displays an error message. You must either let the tasks proceed or clear the Task Planning table if the change has already been performed and should be approved quickly.

Track change progress

You can easily track the progress of change implementation because the system lists all change tasks in the Schedule tab of the change order.

The Status section in the main tab also shows the number of completed tasks in the Tasks Progress field:

When someone acknowledges or completes a task, or adds comments in the Follow-Up & Status Updates section, the system records the task name and number, status, person, date, and comment in the Change Tasks Activity Log field of the Follow-Up & Change Tasks Tracking section of the main change order tab. Each task has its own entry, but only the latest activity appears for each. This helps the change coordinator track the latest task activities and monitor overall progress.

Cancel a change order

If the change order is no longer valid, you can cancel it to prevent further actions. The system also cancels any tasks that have been created. The Cancellation Details section captures the following:

• Cancelled In Status – The last status before cancellation
• Cancelled By – The person who canceled the change order
• Cancellation Date – The date the change order was canceled
• Cancellation Comments – Comments added when canceling the change order