📝Change Request

NEW

A formal proposal to modify a system, deliverable, document, or process, typically reviewed through a change control process.

DESCRIPTION

A change request (CR) captures the rationale, scope, impact, and risk of a proposed change. It is triaged, assessed, and approved or rejected by governance bodies such as a Change Advisory Board. CRs help maintain baselines and traceability across requirements, code, and documentation. Effective CR workflows integrate with version control, CI/CD, and release management. Clear acceptance criteria, risk analysis, and rollback plans improve outcomes.

ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS

PMI PMBOK Guide

A change request is a formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline.

Concise project management definition tied to baselines.

Source

AXELOS (ITIL)

A change request is a formal proposal for a change to be made.

ITIL-aligned definition emphasizing formal proposal.

Source

RELATED TERMS

Change Control Change Enablement ITIL Configuration Management Releasing CAB Baseline Model Impact Assessment Risk Assessment

COMPETING TERMS

Service Request

KNOWLEDGE AREAS

Collaboration Software Engineering Data Governance Transformation Process

TARGET AUDIENCE

IT Project Manager Product Owner Scrum Master IT Manager Solution Architect Software Developer Data Engineer

EXTERNAL SOURCES

• Wikipedia - Change request
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148 - Requirements engineering including change control
• Microsoft Learn - Change tracking in Azure DevOps
• Atlassian - ITSM change requests guidance

TOP QUESTIONS

What is a Change Request in project and service management?

It’s a formal proposal to modify scope, artifacts, or services, assessed for impact and risk before approval and implementation.

Category: Overview

How does a Change Request differ from a Service Request?

Service requests are routine user ask-for services; change requests propose modifications to baselined systems or processes.

Category: Comparison

What information should a Change Request include?

Rationale, scope, impact analysis, risk, affected items, testing plan, rollback plan, and acceptance criteria.

Category: Requirements

Who approves Change Requests?

Depending on risk and scope, product owners, change managers, or a Change Advisory Board approve after assessment.

Category: Governance

What are common mistakes with Change Requests?

Inadequate impact assessment, missing rollback plans, vague acceptance criteria, and bypassing peer review.

Category: Mistakes

How do Change Requests fit into Agile?

Changes are captured as backlog items with clear definitions of done; governance tailors to risk while keeping flow fast.

Category: Agile

What tools support Change Requests?

Issue trackers (Jira, Azure DevOps), CI/CD gates, code review workflows, and GRC systems for regulated environments.

Category: Tools

How do you prioritize Change Requests?

Use risk, value, dependencies, cost, and regulatory urgency to sequence approvals and implementation.

Category: Prioritization

How to measure Change Request effectiveness?

Track lead time, change failure rate, mean time to restore, and customer impact to improve processes.

Category: Metrics