Difference between Project Management and Change Management
Last Updated :
23 Jul, 2025
Project Management and Change Management are distinct disciplines that serve different purposes within organizations. Project Management Focuses on planning, executing, and closing specific projects to achieve defined objectives within scope, time, and budget constraints.
Change Management addresses the human side of organizational change, focusing on guiding individuals and teams through transitions, managing resistance, and ensuring the successful adoption of new processes, systems, or cultural shifts.
Project Management vs Change ManagementWhat is Project Management?
Project Management is the discipline of planning, monitoring, and controlling software projects, identifying the scope, estimating the work involved, and creating a project schedule. Along with it is also responsible for keeping the team up to date on the project’s progress handling issues and discussing solutions.
Process of Project Management
Project management included the step by step phases which is help to proceed the product development:
Phases of Project Management Working1. Project Initiation/Feasibility Study
A feasibility study explores system requirements to determine Project Feasibility. There are several fields of feasibility study including economic feasibility, operational feasibility, and technical feasibility. The goal is to determine whether the system can be implemented or not. The process of feasibility study takes as input the required details as specified by the user and other domain-specific details.
2. Project Planning
In this phase of Project Management, the project manager defines the scope of the project, develops a detailed project plan, and identifies the resources required to complete the project.
3. Project Execution
The Project Execution phase of the Project Management process involves the actual implementation of the project, including the allocation of resources, the execution of tasks, and the monitoring and control of project progress. A project is executed by choosing an appropriate Software Development Lifecycle Model (SDLC).
4. Project Monitoring and Controlling
This phase of Project Management involves tracking the Project’s Progress, comparing actual results to the project plan, and making changes to the project as necessary. In the project management process, in that third and fourth phases are not sequential in nature.
5. Project Closing
There can be many reasons for the termination of a project. Though expecting a project to terminate after successful completion is conventional, at times, a project may also terminate without completion.
What is Change Management in Project Management?
Change Management in Project Management is a process of helping organizations to navigate and handle changes smoothly throughout a project lifecycle. It is a structured process that guides teams and individuals through transitions, making sure everyone is on the same process and timeline when changes happen. The goal is to make sure the changes are adopted successfully without affecting too much changes to the project or team dynamics.
Change Management Process
The Change Management process is all about guiding people and organizations through changes in a smooth and efficient way. The goal is to make the transition as easy as possible while making sure that everyone gets on board with the change.
Change Management Process1. Creating a Request for Change (RFC)
Everything starts with identifying the need for a change. This could happen because of a bug, an improvement suggestion, or a new requirement. Once the need is recognized, a formal request for change (RFC) is created. This document explains what needs to change, why it’s necessary, and what impact it could have on the system.
2. Reviewing and Assessing the Request
Once the RFC is submitted, it’s reviewed by the change management team. They’ll assess whether the change is needed, if it’s feasible, and what resources will be required to implement it. The team also looks at the risks and how the change might affect the existing system.
3. Planning the Change
Once the request is deemed appropriate, a detailed plan is created. This plan outlines what needs to be done, when it will happen, and what resources are required. A timeline is set, and any backup plans are made to avoid major disruptions during the change.
4. Testing the Change
Before the change is made live, it undergoes thorough testing in a controlled environment. This step make sure that the change works as expected and does not cause any problems with the existing system. Testing helps catch any issues early, so they do not appear when is live.
5. Creating a Change Proposal
If the testing goes well, a formal change proposal is written up. This proposal includes all the details about the change, how it will be implemented, and any risks involved. The proposal is reviewed and approved by the necessary stakeholders.
6. Implementing the Change
Once everything is approved, the change is implemented in the live environment. Care is taken to ensure the change doesn’t cause any disruptions to the system. Depending on the change, it might be rolled out gradually or scheduled during a planned downtime.
After the change is made, the team monitors its performance to see if everything is working as expected. They check if the change has achieved the desired outcomes and if any new issues have arisen. Feedback from users is collected to make sure the change is a success.
8. Closing the Process
When everything is confirmed to be running smoothly, and any necessary adjustments have been made, the process is officially closed. The documentation is updated, and a final review is conducted to evaluate how well the change was handled and if it met the goals.
Difference between Project Management and Change Management
Here are the following difference between Project Management and Change Management:
Aspect | Project Management | Change Management |
|---|
Focus Area | It mainly focus on management of project. | It mainly focus on management of people that must adapt to change. |
Strategy | Project management is well defined strategy as it has deadlines, defined phases, guidelines, various task to be completed to complete project successfully, etc. | Change management is not well defined strategy as it does not involve any deadlines, guidelines, etc. |
Timeframes | It includes start and end date i.e. deadlines for each Individual project, milestones, resources, etc. | It does not include any start and end date, milestones, etc. |
Objective | It simply ensures that deliverable i.e. product, service, goods is designed, developed and delivered more effectively. | It simply ensures that employees that are impacted by change must adopt it and use strategies to deal with change. |
Processes Involved | It is a process that includes various tasks such as starting, planning, executing or performing, controlling or monitoring, closing, etc. | It is a process that includes various phases such as preparing, managing, and reinforcing change. |
Tools | Various project management tools are available such as project charter, Gantt chart, business case, etc. | Various change management tools are available such as training plans, individual change model, reinforcement mechanisms, etc. |
Complexity | It is quite simple process than change management. | It is more difficult as it involves dealing with nature of individual.
|
When to use Project Management and Change Management
Project management and change management are two distinct areas of expertise that are essential for the success of any business or organization. While there is some overlap between the two, they have different focuses and objectives.
- Project management is the process of planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve specific project goals. It involves coordinating the activities of a team to complete a project on time, within budget, and to the desired level of quality. Project management includes tasks such as defining project scope, creating a project plan, managing resources, tracking project progress, and delivering project results.
- On the other hand, change management is the process of managing the people side of change in an organization. It involves preparing, supporting, and helping individuals, teams, and organizations to make a smooth transition from the current state to the desired future state. Change management includes tasks such as identifying and communicating the need for change, assessing the impact of change on stakeholders, developing a change management plan, implementing the plan, and evaluating the results.
- While project management focuses on managing the activities required to complete a project successfully, change management focuses on managing the impact of change on individuals, teams, and organizations. Project managers are responsible for managing the project team, while change managers are responsible for managing the change process and ensuring that the people impacted by the change are prepared and supported.
Conclusion
In summary, project management and change management are two essential areas of expertise that are necessary for the success of any business or organization. While they have some similarities, they have different focuses and objectives. If you want to know process of Software development through the project development do refer the "Software Development Life Cycle".
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