Change-order control is a software engineering process that manages change, or lack there of. The process is weighted to prevent change. Tools help to manage this process, while senior decision makers accept or decline change decisions. Frequently, the senior decision makers are independent of the teams.
Once a component is completed to the satisfaction of the team, it is placed under change-order control. When a component is placed under the change-order control process, changes to the component are now frozen. If a change is absolutely necessary, and the senior decision makers are willing to delay the project to enforce the consequences of the change, then the change is fulfilled. Changes should be few, well justified, and documented.
Many change requests are postponed and incorporated into the next version of the product. Some of these change requests contribute to the requirement document for the next version, while some contribute to the architecture and implementation. Still, others may improve the quality.