Sales and delivery
Scope Change Request Template: Record the Decision Before Work Starts
A change request is a decision record, not permission to begin extra work. Use this template when someone asks for something outside, or potentially outside, the agreed delivery.
Copy the change request
- Reference: project, current approved scope and request date.
- Requested change: what should be different and why.
- Acceptance: observable evidence that would show the change is delivered.
- Impact: tasks, customer inputs, dependencies, cost and timing; mark unknowns.
- Options: add, replace something, defer or decline.
- Decision: approver, outcome, conditions and date.
- Implementation: owner and the updated scope version after approval.
Keep the original baseline. Otherwise you cannot explain what changed or which decision authorised the work.
A fictional additional-language request
Baseline: five website pages in one language. Request: add a second language. Acceptance: agreed pages available in that language, with reviewed text, working links and language navigation.
Impacts to assess: translation owner, content entry, layout checks, metadata and ongoing updates. Unknown: who supplies approved translation. Options: include it after agreeing those inputs, or defer to a separate release. No price or delivery date is confirmed merely because the request was recorded.
Make the decision usable
“Approved” needs an object: approved work, conditions, cost basis and timing implications. A customer saying an idea looks attractive is not necessarily approval of the assessed change.
If the change replaces something, name what is removed. If information is missing, record “assessment pending” rather than allowing the status to suggest approval. Tell the delivery owner which baseline now applies.
Prevent quiet scope drift
Review open changes at the same time as delivery dependencies. Ask whether work has started without the necessary decision and whether any accepted change still lacks an owner.
Use the actual agreement to determine contractual authority and pricing. This record organises the conversation; it does not create a universal right to charge or assume the customer has accepted new terms. Keep proposed and accepted changes visibly separate.
Continue with a related resource
Use the example with your own facts, assign an owner and review the result before relying on it. These resources are available without creating an account.
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