The purpose of the Change practice is to identify, assess and control any potential and approved changes to the baseline. Issue and change control must integrate with configuration management systems.
The Three PRINCE2 Issue Types
In PRINCE2, the term "issue" covers all relevant unplanned events that require management attention:
- Request for Change — a proposal for a change to the agreed baseline
- Off-specification — something that should be provided as part of the project but is not, or is forecast not to be
- Problem / Concern — any other issue the Project Manager needs to resolve or escalate
The Five-Step Issue and Change Control Procedure
Capture
Determine the issue type, severity and priority. Log the issue in the Issue Register or Daily Log.
Examine
Assess the impact on the project plan and check severity against defined tolerances.
Propose
Identify, evaluate and recommend the best options for resolving the issue.
Decide
Escalate to Project Board if tolerances will be exceeded. Approve, reject, or defer the proposed action.
Implement
Take corrective action and update all relevant project records.
See also: Yes, It is a PRINCE2 Issue — guidance on what qualifies as a PRINCE2 issue — and Issue Rating Scales for severity and priority frameworks.