Changing your mind is not what Change Requests are all about. These requests usually represent new business opportunities that surface during or shortly after the development of a new IT solution. This is often a hidden benefit of enterprise solution development. Innovation leads to more innovation. Both business and software development are highly evolutionary processes. That's why I'm so totally in love with this stuff.

Having said that, it is also true that people, no matter how talented and experienced they may be, tend to overlook important features or improvements they obviously require. The Change Request offers an opportunity to document and manage these innovations, improvements or oversights in an orderly manner. No matter how urgent the request, this document allows the process to slow just enough to insure the changes needed are actually the changes that are deployed. It may not reduce the stress, but it does create a quick road map everyone can follow.

Let's get a quick overview of this template, and remember change anything you like to make your job easier. The first section is just a summary of the whole thing. The second and third sections are fairly interesting. Why does the person or department want the change request? These questions assess the benefits of the request.

The next two sections give an overview of the current and envisioned process. Use these sections to develop your Use Case. Transferring these steps to a formal Use Case enables you to identify any area of ambiguity the request may contain. Ironing these out saves everyone a lot of time and is invaluable in ensuring the change is successful.

The next section addresses the urgency issue. People wanting change often want it right away; this gives them an opportunity to reflect on how soon they really need the added benefits of the change. This little box may be your greatest stress reducer.

The second page appears to be a lot of "business hubbub", but keeping everyone on the same page, literally in this case, helps each stake holder recognize that changing or adding features to software solutions is a process that requires respect and agreement. The later sections on the second page also give each stakeholder and the development team an idea of the time line. I believe most would agree things never get done if they don't have a deadline

I love change, especially when it allows life and business to run more efficiently and create new opportunities.

Template

Choose one of the document formats to view the form. Select Word Template to download the Change Request From.

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