How can you negotiate program scope changes without affecting quality or delivery?

This is, in my opinion - the most critical part - hearing out why this needs to be done. In a program (especially towards the end) everyone is tired and ready to finish. When a change is escalated, it means someone somewhere on the effort needs something added. Taking the time to learn truly what they need and how they plan to use it, is essential. By taking the time to listen to why the change is being pressed and sharing it to collect feedback could potentially save the entire effort. It may result in someone sharing that the project can already provide that functionality but wasn’t shared, or by implementing the change it could resolve catastrophic issues in the future. Always listen and be transparent - there are no bad ideas

When taking dependencies into consideration, think about your upstream and downstream processes. The data gathering, process timing, even budget changes could affect another department. You MUST validate that you are doing no harm. This is why change control boards are so helpful.

If the change encompasses subcontracted work, you must send AN RFP to the subcontractor with a copy of any relevant change documents; such as: revised work statement, specifications, customer flow down requirements, etc. Give the subcontractor sufficient time to review and provide an element of cost breakdown along with impacts to schedule, quality. Subcontractor should provide with its proposal any exceptions to the RFP requirements.

When communicating the change it is of utmost importance that you communicate the reason for the change that is mentioned further above. You need a widwr understanding and buy in for the change prior to discussing the various impacts. If the program / organisation does not understand the reason it is difficult to discuss the wider ranging impacts otherwise the discussions will return to the fundamental question ?so why exactly do we need to change and have these discussions“. Having buy in and understanding of a change will make these discussions easier and more efficient (having less of an impact on delivery timelines).

The reason for the change would mostly be a ‘Value Add’ for the stakeholder so as to effect a change management for the program. The Program Manager should deliberate and communicate all the ‘Value Adds’ with Stakeholders whilst defining the scope and put a definitive time and effort metrics to the same. The changes are invariably the non-articulated or not understood extensions of the stakeholder requirements. Once these have been considered during the Scope defining, change management through Change Control Boards are convenient to handle .

consider also these aspects: Define the scope baseline and the change control process. Establish a clear scope baseline and a change control process before starting the project. Assess the value and feasibility of the change. Evaluate the benefits, risks, and alignment of the change with the project goals and strategy. Also assess the feasibility of the change in terms of time, cost, resources, and quality. Involve the relevant stakeholders in the change decision. Communicate the change request and its impact to the stakeholders, and seek their input and feedback. Negotiate the best solution that satisfies their needs and minimizes the disruption. Use techniques such as stakeholder analysis, communication plan, and conflict management.