- Watch out
- What it costs
- Experienced readers
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- In BIMpedia
Projects change: clients rethink, sites surprise, products become unavailable. Change control doesn't stop change; it makes sure every change is requested, assessed, approved and recorded before anyone does the work, so everyone knows what changed, why, and what it costs.
| Step | Who | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Request | Anyone | What, why, who asked |
| Assess | Design team, PM, QS, planner | Impact on scope, time, cost, quality, risk, information |
| Decide | The person with authority | Approved, rejected or deferred |
| Record | PM or document control | Change log entry, instruction |
| Implement | The responsible team | Updated design, models, documents |
Information changes are changes too
- A new requirement (another property on every door, a new export format) changes scope.
- A new deliverable date changes the programme.
- A renamed level or room changes everything downstream.
Route them through the same process as design changes.
On a site walk the client asks for a larger window in the board room. The architect changes the model the next day. Two weeks later the façade subcontractor's fabrication model, based on the old window, has gone to the factory. Nobody knows who pays for the remake.
The request is logged. The assessment shows the façade panel, lintel and blind are affected, with a cost and a one-week delay if approved before fabrication starts on the 10th. The client approves on the 6th, the instruction goes to all parties, and the façade model is updated before fabrication.
The client asks to add a server room on level 2 (30 m², with extra cooling and power) at stage 4. List the impacts you'd ask each party to assess, and the information that changes.
Key takeaways
- A change request describes the change, its reason and who asked for it.
- It's assessed for impact on scope, time, cost, quality and risk (design, programme, information).
- The person with authority approves or rejects it, and the decision is recorded.
- Model comparison between revisions shows what actually changed, which keeps change records honest.