Change request

Proposition to deviate from the original plan

A change request is a formal request submitted by one of the project stakeholders to make a change to a project. Approval of a change request will result in the deviation from the original project plan that was created at the beginning of a project. Every change should be assessed, processed and approved by the project manager. It is important to keep in mind that each approved change will affect the project’s scope. For successful project completion, it is important to keep scope changes to a minimum. Bigger changes in scope can easily result in overrunning the project’s constraints, e.g. increased costs, which in turn can endanger the whole project.

Change requests should also be clearly documented in writing containing all the important details. It is important that all involved parties know what the change entails and what is expected of them.

Examples for typical change requests are:

• Modifying the project processes
• Modifying project plans and (usually extending) deadlines
• Modifying project management methods that aim at reducing project costs or increasing or reducing the project scope

If a customer wants to make alterations to project deliverables they should submit their change request to the project manager and work together on a new or adjusted project order. 

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