Is There a New Definition for "Change Control" in Project Management? OR Is the "Hawthorne Effect" Built into Project Management?

Presented by Dr. Loran W. Walker MA, MS, DMIT, PMP

The Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) suggests that integrated change control be practiced throughout the life of a project, from initiation phase to closure. Change control in a project is a process that justifies or rejects a change request to the product, service or result that is being worked upon. However, the “change control” this paper is referring to is the change in environmental working conditions that employees experience when they join or are assigned to a project team and its impact on the success or failure of the project.

There a need to understand the impact of this worker environmental change in order to mitigate various challenges the project manager may encounter during the life of the project? Is there a “Hawthorne Effect” embedded in the discipline of Project Management and how will a project manager use the effect to optimize the project? This presentation cites information from the original Hawthorne factory experiments and current articles to open the discussion of this possible phenomenon within the project management discipline.

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Dr. Walker's Biography

Dr. Walker has worked in the Computer Science and Information Systems fields for over 27 years. He has been an Adjunct and Full-time professor in information systems and the social sciences. He specializes in consulting and teaching High-Level Programming Languages (C, C++, Java, and .Net Technologies), Systems Analysis & Design, Project Management, Web Design, Programming Technologies and Enterprise Architecture. Currently he serves as a Core Faculty member for the Project Management Program in the School of Undergraduate Studies (SOUS) at Capella University.

He also contributes to the Project Management Center of Excellence website for the university at: www.PMroundtable.org

Professor Walker is a founder and current chairperson of the Students of Project Management Specific Interest Group (SoPM) chartered by The Project Management Institute (PMI) in September of 2000. He presented, “Is There a New Definition for “Change Control” in Project Manager?” at the PMI NA Congress, Seattle, WA 2006 and “Learning Lessons on Lessons Learned” at the PMI NA Congress, Denver, CO 2008.
The Students of Project Management Web Site: www.StudentsOfPM.org