When developing and enhancing software, a well-laid plan has a documented set of features, detailed designs, and estimates that allow the project manager to quickly determine if the project is on track to completion. As development proceeds, it is not uncommon for business or market conditions to change, thereby changing the needs of a software project that is currently in development.

Change control is the process of managing changes as to ensure that decisions are not made hastily and that the decision to add an additional feature is in the best interest of the project. If change control is missing from a project, new features will be introduced at random, jeopardizing the delivery date and quality of the software being developed.

To manage change, it is best to have a Change Control Board. The Change Control Board normally consists of the project manager, client manager, development (programming) manager, quality assurance manager, user documentation manager.