Change Request (CR)

Purpose

To request a modification to a product or an acceptance criterion as currently specified.

Derivation and Source Requirements

Change Requests can be submitted by anyone connected with the Project and there are no specific sources or derivation.  Typical sources of change requests are issues and problem reports.

For significant changes and as required by the Project Manager. 

Composition

As a minimum the change requests will include:

·       Date,

·       Originator – who raised the CR

·       Sponsor – who owns the requirement for the CR

·       Unique reference,

·       Classification (scope of the change),

·       Status – under development (not yet ready for impact assessment), under review (under impact assessment), agreed (in implementation), closed (implementation agreed),

·       Description of the proposed change,

·       Impact of the change (including all the deliverables that are changed),

·       Priority – for the project (high, medium or low) this may not be same as the priority of the sponsor,

·       Decision – the decision agreed by the change authority,

·       Allocation – who is responsible for developing the CR and who is responsible for implementing the CR,

·       Dates allocated,

·       Dates completed.

The Change Request will clearly identify:

·       the scope (in terms of all the impacted deliverables),

·       costs, and

·       embodiment plan (how and when the change is implemented).

Quality Criteria

Is the Sponsor defined and agreed?

Is the change registered in the appropriate logs?

Are all the items defined by the composition reviewed and agreed?

Are the costs, list of deliverable items and embodiment plan agreed?

Are the benefits clearly identified and ideally expressed in measurable terms?

Quality method and skills

Before the Change Request is reviewed by those defined in the RACI matrix it may be reviewed by Quality Assurance using the criteria defined above.  To address any concerns or omissions an appropriate person will be assigned to develop the Change Request to a required standard.

The quality review method and skills for reviewing the impacted items are defined by the relevant deliverable.  For example the RACI Matrix will be used to determine the responsibilities and accountabilities for reviewing the impacted items.

Prior to changes being reviewed and agreed the scope (in terms of the changes to all the impacted deliverables are defined), costs and embodiment plan (how and when the change is implemented) will be clearly identified and agreed.