Think about the last time you planned something in your personal or professional life. Maybe you planned a vacation, a family dinner, or a birthday party for a co-worker. Or perhaps it was something not quite as demanding or challenging, such as a quick trip to the post office or the grocery store. Whether it was a big event, or a quick errand, the likelihood that change had at least a minor impact on your plan is high, at least if you define change as any diversion from a specific plan, or from the expectations tied to it. So it is in large part your management of your response to change that determines its diversionary power, or lack thereof. Similarly, one of the many challenges facing you as a project manager is not only how to manage change throughout the project lifecycle, but how to manage your own response to such change. Regardless of its cause or trigger, when left unmanaged, change can create risks, which in turn can quickly spiral a project out of control—affecting cost, deadlines, resourcing, and ultimately, client satisfaction. Consequently, by successfully managing change, project managers mitigate the risks that jeopardize project success. This week you will focus your attention on change and the risks at which they often put projects. You will also explore the major aspects of managing project integration and quality. Finally, you will learn what is involved in identifying and controlling risks, and performing qualitative and quantitative risk analyses.