This research is about the management of unforeseen requirement changes. It has been identified in this study that project management is quite a complex process and for a project manager, it is considered critical to ensure that all risks are identified and mitigated. Unforeseen requirement changes is also a risk to the project and it can be managed by performing the risk management process. In order to create this study, literature review as a research method was selected and different journal articles were explored on the topic of risk management. In this paper, it has been determined that in case of unforeseen requirement changes, one of the major solutions which can be devised for mitigating this risk is the establishment of communication. Communication can be established with the client as work is being performed on the project. In addition to the establishment of communication, the client can also be consulted about the changes in requirements. In addition to it, a policy can be set that if changes are made in the requirements by the client halfway into the project then terms will be renewed. The client will bear the cost of wasted resources and a new deadline will be set. These are solutions to the management of unforeseen requirement changes.

Introduction and Methodology of management of unforeseen requirement changes

In general, project management is recognised as a simple process in which different processes have to be managed to produce the desired results. However, in reality, the management of a project is a very complex process. After all, it generally faces various issues such as short deadlines, consideration of stakeholders, smaller staffs, and limited. In addition to it, there is yet another important aspect which must be considered to ensure that optimal results are produced. This aspect is the management of unforeseen requirement changes. Sometimes, the basic requirements on which the whole project is based change and they cause the whole project to experience a change. If these unforeseen changes are not managed properly, the project can result in failure (Burke, 2013).

In this paper, the management of unforeseen requirement changes is explained and in order to perform research associated with it, literature review is chosen as the method. Methodology is generally recognised as one of the most important parts of any research. Actually, it can be said that methodology is the bridge between results and research objective. In simple words, it serves as the base of every study which requires research. After all, it explains why some specific methods were selected for conducting the research while others were neglected. Therefore, it is important to understand that methodology cannot be ignored in a research. In this research, reviewing previous researches for finding information has been selected as a research method.

Generally, creating a research and associating this research with the existing information is actually the base of all activities and processes that are a part of academic research. With time, however, this process has a taken a complicated form. The production and development of knowledge are rising in every field. It is considered an important reason why reviewing previous researches or a literature review is recognised as important. Actually, a literature review is a methodical and systematic manner of exploring and collecting previous information and compressing it. In fact, a successful and precise literature review is able to create a powerful foundation that is capable of facilitating the creation of a new theory and nurturing the existing information. With the integration of different perspectives and findings obtained from different researches, objectives and gaols of the research can be achieved with the efficiency which an individual research does not have (Hopia, Latvala, & Liimatainen, 2016).

In addition to it, it can also help in giving an overview of different areas where research is interdisciplinary. It is quite a reliable method collecting information and synthesising findings for indicating evidence about a certain aspect. Traditional methods of representing and explaining the literature generally lack description and thoroughness. This seems to result in a lack of information of what different studies are saying and indicating. In this case, various studies about unforeseen changes in projects are obtained and studies. Information is obtained from credible sources such as journal articles and books. Information from these sources is utilised to perform this study.

Unforeseen Requirement Changes

According to Kerzner (2017), unpredicted issues can be faced by even the most thoroughly and precisely planned projects. In fact, regardless of how much planning a project manager performs, the project can always face and encounter some unpredicted issues and changes. It is possible that while the project is close to finalisation, the client might change the requirements. It will cause the whole project and processes which are involved in them to be changed and modified according to the requirements. Let’s suppose that the project is close to finalisation and the requirement changes. What does that mean? Does it mean that project has resulted in failure and there is nothing that can be done for it? No, it is not impossible to save the project if requirements have changed. It is also a type of risk to the project and there are some steps which can be considered to mitigate this risk.

In general, a risk is an unidentified condition or event which might influence your project. It is important to note that there are no guarantees about any project. In fact, a simple process can also face unexpected issues. Thus, anything which might occur to change the result of the project, it is recognised as risk. For instance, a risk can be unexpected weather conditions like a snowstorm and it can be sudden requirement changes. Either way, it is a risk that might or might not occur. However, if it does occur, it will cause the project manager to change the working conditions and processes involved in the project and ensure that the new requirements are met (Kerzner, Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, 2017).

Now, the question arises ‘how can a project manager expect that there might be changes in the requirements?’ In order to answer this question, it is important to first understand the process of risk management.

Process of Risk Management

In general, risks management as a process includes the mitigation and assessment of risks. For instance, risk assessment involves the evaluation and identification of potential effect of the risk on the project. A plan for risk mitigated created for minimising or eliminating the effect of risk events which have an adversely influence on the project. Identifying the risk is quite important because in this stage, different scenarios are analysed and it is determined what types of issues or risks might occur in the project. It generally involves brainstorming sessions in which different scenarios are created (Meredith, Jr, & Shafer, 2017).

Risk Identification of management of unforeseen requirement changes

The first stage in the process of risk management is risk identification in which different and potential risks are identified which might occur in the project. Some industries and organisations create risk checklists on the basis of experience from previous projects. The sheer possibility of unforeseen requirement changes arises at this stage. This is the stage where it is determined that something similar to requirement changes can also occur in the project.

Risk Evaluation of management of unforeseen requirement changes

After the identification of potential risks, each risk is then evaluated by the project team on the basis of the fact that the risk might actually occur in the project. It is important to note that all risks are not equal. While some risks are more likely to occur than other risks, some rare risks are capable of disturbing the whole project such as unforeseen requirement changes. The next step in this process is the determination of probability of the severity and likelihood or possible loss to the project (Pinto, 2013).

Risk Mitigation of management of unforeseen requirement changes

Once risk has been evaluated and identified, the project team creates a mitigation plan which is aimed at reducing the effect of an unidentified event. Risks are generally mitigated in various ways including risk transfer, risk reduction, risk sharing, and risk avoidance. Each and every mitigation technique is an efficient method and technique in the reduction of risk faced by the project. In this stage of the risk management, it is determined which solution is capable of managing and mitigating the risk in an effective manner. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that this stage is also quite important to the whole process of risk management. In case of unforeseen requirement changes, there are a number of solutions which can be considered for mitigating this risk (Wysocki, 2011). They are as follow:

Establishment of Communication of management of unforeseen requirement changes

In case of unforeseen requirement changes, one of the major solutions which can be devised for mitigating this risk is the establishment of communication. Every project has an owner who is responsible for setting the guidelines and basic requirements of this project. Let’s suppose that ABC is a project management organisation and it works on the requirements of its client to manage different projects. It has received a new project and it must be completed within a week. Now, the project management team determines that a possible risk to the project is unexpected and sudden requirement changes. There are some other risks which have been identified by the team but they are not as important as this issue. Therefore, in the stage of risk mitigation, the team determines that for the elimination of this risk, it is important to develop constant communication with the client. Thus, the team ensures that the client is connected throughout the completion of project and he is consulted regarding the requirement changes. The client determines that requirements will not change. In this manner, the ABC firm manages this risk of unforeseen requirement changes.

The same approach can be utilised by other organisations as well for the management of unforeseen requirement changes. Communication can be established with the client as work is being performed on the project. In addition to the establishment of communication, the client can also be consulted about the changes in requirements (Kerzner & Saladis, Value-driven project management, 2011).

Change of Terms of management of unforeseen requirement changes

Other than the establishment of communication, another solution which can be considered for the management of unpredicted requirement changes is to create a policy of change of terms. It means that if client asks for requirement changes during the project then the terms will be renewed. It implies that there will be a completely new deadline and the cost incurred will also be new because the client has to account and take responsibility for the wasted resources.

Significance of Research of management of unforeseen requirement changes

This research is considered because in the existing literature, there are not many studies which have focused on the risk of unforeseen requirement changes in the project. Although there are have been many researches which have explored different risks which might be experienced by the project team, there are not many studies which have specifically focused on requirement changes as a risk. Therefore, this study will contribute significantly to the existing research. In addition to it, it explains how organisations and project managers can tackle and overcome the issue of unpredicted requirement changes. They can rely on this research for managing this risk and completing their project in an effective manner. Other than helping firms and project managers, this research also helps authors and researchers in building their own research.

Conclusion of management of unforeseen requirement changes

Overall, it can be said that, project management is recognised as a simple process in which different processes have to be managed to produce the desired results. However, in reality, the management of a project is a very complex process. Sometimes, the basic requirements on which the whole project is based change and they cause the whole project to experience a change. If these unforeseen changes are not managed properly, the project can result in failure. In this paper, literature review as the method of research was selected for conducting research and finding necessary information. It has been determined in this study that unforeseen requirement changes are also a risk and it can be managed or mitigated by conducting the risk management process. There are two potential solutions which can be considered by project managers for mitigating it including the establishment of a communication plan and changing terms.

References of management of unforeseen requirement changes

Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques (Vol. 26). New Jersey, USA.

Hopia, H., Latvala, E., & Liimatainen, L. (2016). Reviewing the methodology of an integrative review. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 30(4), 662-669.

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Kerzner, H., & Saladis, F. P. (2011). Value-driven project management (Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons.

Meredith, J. R., Jr, S. J., & Shafer, S. M. (2017). Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Pinto, J. K. (2013). Project management: achieving competitive advantage. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Wysocki, R. K. (2011). Effective project management: traditional, agile, extreme. John Wiley & Sons.