the panel is secured by the philips screws, hidden in the handles (visible) and once you take off the light covers, you will see more screws under the light covers. I just recently took it off but don't remember if there were 4 or 6 screws... also, in addition to the screws there are plastic clips that are guaranteed to bend or break when you will try to reinstall the cover back up... I would suggest get a dozen or so of those clips from the local dealer (they are like $0.20 a piece), and have spare ones around your garage - same clips are used on the door panels, should you need to fix your glass regulator.

replacing the lock actuator is easy - remove the plastic trim, remove the lock, install the new one, reinstall the trim...

how handy are you with the tools?