Encarta gives one definition of art as "beautiful or thought-provoking works produced through creative activity". It defines science as "an activity that is the object of careful study or that is carried out according to a developed method". Which category does your requirements change management process fall into? Is your change management process consistent from project to project? Could you rewind history 12 months and describe the exact process to a colleague or easily train a new hire employee on the process? If you answered no to these questions then I would argue that your requirements change management process is an art. I think we can all agree that our goal is to move this process to a science.

I have been selling software applications for a decade now and it still amazes me how organizations go about acquiring new software systems. Many companies have no process in place for making large software acquisitions and many companies simply purchase based on past experience and minimal research. There is a saying in the industry that no one has ever been fired for purchasing "Big Blue". Requirements Management tools/systems are no different.