A project manager receives a change request that will extend the deadline but reduce risk. Which process handles evaluating and approving this change in the PMBOK framework?

• A. Plan Risk Management
• B. Integrated Change Control
• C. Perform Change Analysis
• D. Monitor and Control Risks

Answer: (B)

Integrated Change Control handles evaluating and approving changes to the project plan, including adjustments to schedule and risk. This process coordinates all change requests, analyzes their overall impact on scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk, and then decides whether to authorize, reject, or defer the change. It ensures the project baseline is updated only after a formal approval and that all stakeholders are informed.

Plan Risk Management is about establishing how risk will be managed, not about approving changes. Perform Change Analysis is a detailed analysis technique used to understand the effects of a change, but the governance and approval flow comes from Integrated Change Control. Monitor and Control Risks focuses on tracking and responding to risks, not on evaluating and approving changes to the project plan.