Why Projects Fail and How to Improve Their Success
with Sandra M Mitchell
Change Request Form Guidelines
Changes are an inevitable part of projects. While changes can be disruptive, they are far better than to
deliver the wrong thing.
Guidelines to consider in your change request form
• Name of Project: The project for which the change is being requested
• Name of Requestor: The person who is asking for the change to be made
• Summary of Request: The description of the request that is being asked for. This should be as
detailed as necessary to allow the project team to understand exactly what is being requested. It
should clarify any of the following that apply:
◦ Scope changes
◦ Schedule changes
◦ Budget changes
◦ Quality standard changes
◦ Risk tolerance changes
◦ Specific resource changes
• Reason for Request: The background and explanation to the request. This should explain why
the request is important to the project and should highlight the benefits that will be gained by
incorporating the change into the initiative. In conjunction with the next field (Impact If Change Is
Not Made), it will provide the logic for the request being made.
• Impact If Change Is Not Made: The repercussions for the project if the change is not approved.
This should be a realistic assessment and should focus on challenges with the project’s ability to
meet its goals; ultimately, the decision on whether to approve or reject will (at least in part) come
down to the costs identified here versus the costs of making the change. This field combines with
the previous field (Reason for Request) to provide the logic for the request being made.
The remaining fields are for the use of the project team in assessing the request:
• Change Request ID: The request should be logged in a change log and a unique identifier
assigned that will assist with tracking. All documentation associated with the change should
carry this ID.
• Assigned To: The person assigned to carry out or to lead the analysis. This person should
be viewed as the change request owner and should be the person who has the greatest
understanding of the areas of the project that are impacted and the extent of that impact.
See also Support Resources below.
Why Projects Fail and How to Improve Their Success with Sandra M Mitchell 1 of 2
Why Projects Fail and How to Improve Their Success
with Sandra M Mitchell
• Analysis Due: The date by which the owner/person that the analysis is assigned to needs to have
completed their analysis and provided a recommendation to the project manager for submission
to the change control board. This date should be determined by the owner and project manager
in partnership and should reflect the unique circumstances of each change; arbitrary timelines
will not be successful.
• Support Resources: Additional team members and/or stakeholders who will assist the change
owner in conducting the analysis. These may not be required for every change, but for more
complex requests these individuals will be invaluable. Individuals should be identified rather
than teams to drive accountability.
• Analysis Summary: The summary of the work carried out by the owner and any support
resources. This should focus on the impact of the change to the project constraints (including
quality and risk) and should also reflect areas of uncertainty where the impact may be larger
than has been able to assess accurately within the analysis period. This area should also consider
the impact to the deliverables if the change is not approved.
• Recommended Action: This is the recommendation of the change owner. The dropdown
options can be modified to suit your needs.
• Project Manager: The PM should put their name to the recommended action to indicate that
they have discussed the change with the owner after the analysis has been completed; they are
in agreement with the recommendation that is going to the change control board.
• Change Board Decision: The decision reached by the change control board or equivalent
governance function after reviewing the request and analysis. The dropdown option can be
modified to suit your needs but should remain consistent with the options in the Recommended
Actions category.
• Change Board Date: The date that the change control board decision is made.
• Requestor Advised: The date that the person requesting the change is advised of the change
control board decision. This is the accountability of the project manager, although they may
delegate responsibility to a member of the team (commonly the team’s change owner).
• Project Plan Updated: The date when all the changes to the project plan have been made
(if necessary) after the change control board’s decision. This is the accountability of the
project manager.
Visit the Project Management Institute website for a change request form template.
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