Management of Change Checklist: Manage, Track & Document Changes

What Is a Management of Change Checklist?

Companies use a change management checklist to implement new internal processes such as occupational safety or internationalization. Management of change (otherwise known as MOC) is a mandatory requirement in industries where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Health and Safety Administration ( OSHA) have agency. Anytime a company makes changes in the type of chemicals, facility, equipment, procedures, or technology, it’s best practice to go through the five steps of change in order to mitigate risk and protect workers from harm.

It’s true that everyone is a unique individual, but that doesn’t mean human nature varies by personality that much. Frankly speaking, most people don’t like change; they don’t like switching jobs; they don’t like moving, and they definitely don’t like disruptions in their daily routine. Modifying the ordinary by adding new, unfamiliar variables can cause stress—sometimes necessary, yes—but stress all the same. And that’s why not using the management of change methodology can be risky for companies who choose to opt-out of the procedure. Stress does strange things to people and assuming your employees would react any differently to the changes mentioned above could prove to be the company’s Achilles heel.

Managing change is especially challenging when there is heavy pressure to adapt to evolving consumer demands, legal regulations, and a fluctuating economy, but especially so when time and money are on the wane. Depending on the nature of the change, these risks might jeopardize employee safety, company reputation, or worse can be at stake if the change is not planned in advance or in detail.

This article deals with:

1. Changes a MOC process oversees

2. Industries that need a MOC checklist

3. 5 Steps of a Management of Change

4. Advantages of digital management of change checklist

What Changes Does a MOC Checklist Manage?

Every company has different work processes and ways to assess them. However, there are some common causes that might require utilizing a MOC checklist.

Possible changes that should be assessed are:

• Including new process equipment or systems
• Complete or partial equipment replacement (especially if this is a completely new system)
• Alterations to process and non-process equipment
• Modifications to process control and/or instrumentation
• Improvements in process parameter operating limits
• Changes to safety systems
• Checks of standard operating procedures (including emergency procedures)
• Alterations in site-level organizational structure
• Modifying maintenance procedures
• Changes in raw material/component specifications or sourcing
• Alterations or new connections to utility systems (air, electrical, gas, water, steam, etc)
• Restructuring to QA procedures or critical test equipment

It would be helpful to engage a cross-functional team for what-if brainstorming. This will benefit your assessment process. It is recommended to do this while you’re still in the planning stage.

Who Needs a MOC Checklist?

Different staff members are usually involved in making the change, notifying or onboarding potentially affected employees, and updating documents affected by the change.

One person makes a change request. Qualified professionals, typically not the MOC organizer, should review the request to decide if any potentially adverse effects could result from the change and brainstorm ideas for risk management. After the review, the change needs to be approved for execution, amendment, or rejection. Often, final approval for alterations comes from another designated individual independent of the review team.

What Are the 5 Steps of a Management of Change Procedure?

To successfully carry out the management of change procedure, you can follow these steps. For each of these steps, you can use a separate page in your change management planning template created with Lumiform:.

1. Identification of Problems

Start by identifying problems and opportunities for improvement. Describe your findings as precisely as possible to simplify the following steps and to achieve the best possible result.

2. Analysis

Analyze the problem and find the cause. Depending on the type of problem or deficit, perform a variety of analyses, such as competitive analysis, organizational analysis, or process analysis.

3. Set Goals

Now, set goals to improve your business or to overcome the problems. Create a concept; you can use creative techniques to formulate them. Consider your time frame and your budget.

4. Implementation of Objectives

Now start to define measures to achieve your goals. Let professional consultants help you with this.

5. Evaluation of the Results

After you have implemented your goals and followed the individual steps, you should now control and evaluate the results. Check if you have reached your goals and see if you have been able to eliminate the problems. If the measures were not effective enough, you should analyze the problem again and, if necessary, repeat the 5 steps.

What Are the Advantages of a Digital MOC Checklist?

Lumiform's digital solution helps you manage change in a more controlled and transparent way. You always have your checklist in your pocket wherever you go. Want to change something on your management of change form? Simply adapt it to your needs without having to do everything from scratch.

With Lumiform's mobile app, you can easily perform quality and safety audits, report problems, and quickly assign corrective actions to responsible colleagues. Easy communication with all team members and third parties allows you to improve internal processes and resolve incidents up to four times faster than before.

Digitize checklists and internal processes for your management of change with Lumiform:

• The flexible form construction kit helps you to convert any individual paper list into digital checklists within minutes.
• Lumiform offers more than 12,000 pre-designed templates, so that you can quickly and securely get started digitally, including a library full of change management process templates.
• Save time by analyzing all the data more easily and identifying areas that need your attention more quickly.
• With the super intuitive mobile application, you and your teammates can perform any check in the field with ease.
• All examination results are automatically bundled in a report by the app.
• Comprehensive analyses help you to identify inefficient areas in your company more quickly and, thus, to continuously improve auditing processes.
• The very simple operation offers no room for error for on-site auditors. The app offers an easier solution to documenting or filling out checklists than tedious paper or Excel sheets.