Change Request
A change request is used to change any aspect of the project. It can pertain to product, documents, cost, schedule, or any other aspect of the project. Typical information includes:
- Requestor
- Category
- Description of the proposed change
- Justification
- Impacts of the proposed change
- Scope
- Quality
- Requirements
- Cost
- Schedule
- Project documents
- Comments
A change request can come from almost any process involved in executing, monitoring, and controlling the project. It is described in 4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work in the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition. Upon completion, it is submitted to the change control board for review.
Tailoring Tips
Consider the following tips to help tailor the change request to meet your needs:
- For smaller projects you can simplify the form by having a summary description of the impacts with- out including impacts for each subcategory (scope, quality, requirements, ).
- You can add a check box that indicates whether the change is mandatory (such as a legal requirement) or discretionary.
- A field can be added that describes the implications of not making the change.
Alignment
The change request should be aligned and consistent with the following documents:
- Change management plan
- Change log
Document Element | Description | |
Requestor | The name, and if appropriate, the position of the person requesting the change | |
Category | Check a box to indicate the category of change. | |
Description of change | Describe the proposed change in enough detail to clearly communicate all aspects of the change. | |
Justification for proposed change | Indicate the reason for the change. | |
Impacts of change | Scope | Describe the impact of the proposed change on the project and product scope. |
Quality | Describe the impact of the proposed change on the project or product quality. | |
Requirements | Describe the impact of the proposed change on the project or product requirements. | |
Cost | Describe the impact of the proposed change on the project budget, cost estimates, or funding requirements. | |
Schedule | Describe the impact of the proposed change on the sched- ule and whether it will change the critical path. | |
Project documents | Describe the impact of the proposed change on each proj- ect document. | |
Comments | Provide any comments that will clarify information about the requested change. |