Change control

Change control is the discipline of proposing a change, assessing its impact, getting it approved by the right people and recording that it happened. Most organisations apply it to systems and infrastructure, often because regulations such as SOX or quality standards such as ISO 9001 require it.

The gap

Change control usually covers the system that calculates a number. It rarely covers the definition of what that number means. A formula can be changed in a requirements page or a ticket comment and reach a report without ever passing through an approval step.

Change control for definitions

Applied to business definitions, change control means:

1. A proposed change to a definition is recorded before it takes effect.
2. Its downstream impact and rework cost are assessed before approval.
3. The right owners approve it.
4. The approval, and the assessment behind it, is kept in a record that cannot be edited later.