Impact assessments

An impact assessment belongs to a work package and its organization. It can also point to the affected project. The Business Analyst records a title, assessment note, added hours and dollar cost delta so the reviewer can see what the proposed scope means for delivery. The assessment has its own revision and status: Draft, Submitted, Approved, Rejected or Completed. This is a separate record from the package and from the review decision.

A reviewer should read the assessment alongside the package summary and planned tasks. Added hours explain the proposed effort change; the cost delta describes the estimated financial effect in the field provided. Neither figure should be treated as a final invoice. The project and organization links keep the figures tied to the right work when several change packages have similar titles.

• Prepare the impact. The Business Analyst writes the assessment note and effects against a named package.
• Submit for review. Submitted status makes the assessment visible in the review list with its current revision.
• Keep the decision distinct. A review decision records the independent person’s choice; the assessment describes the effect being judged.

Agree how added hours are estimated, who owns the cost delta and when the assessment should be revised. If an organization uses a currency other than US dollars, decide how staff will interpret the dollar cost field and document the conversion policy outside the record. Agree what supporting evidence belongs in the note and what should be attached to the package. A short unexplained number leaves the reviewer to reconstruct the estimate.

The assessment includes prepared by, owner and reviewed dates. Decide which person is responsible for each step and whether the reviewer should return the assessment or the whole package when the estimate changes. Keep the source revision clear. A previous assessment marked Approved should not be used to justify a package whose scope has since grown.

For a requested reporting change, the Business Analyst creates an assessment under the package. They add estimated hours for data mapping and testing, then state the dollar cost change and explain the main assumption. The Project Manager compares that estimate with the tasks and package budget. If the task plan covers fewer hours than the assessment, the team resolves the gap before presenting the package for review.

The Independent Reviewer opens Assessments submitted, reads the note and attached evidence, and compares the assessment revision with the package being reviewed. If the scope changes after submission, the analyst revises the assessment and the reviewer examines the new material. The old review is still relevant history, but it is not authority for a different scope.

• Assessments submitted — Submitted assessments with package, preparer, effort and cost effects visible.
• Assessments by status — The assessment queue from Draft through Completed.

Impact assessment review follows preparation through the reviewer handoff. Scope to review places it in the overall change path.