Request for Change Template
What is a Request for Change?
Any change to an existing system or procedure entails cross organizational implications, which must be addressed and planned before they are implemented. An RFC (Request for Change Template) addresses these implications, while outlying what the change will be, who will be affected by it and what the cost benefit analysis is.
Any change involves risk as an integral part, and these risks need to be a part of any RFC as well. The RFC is then presented to various people and boards across the organization, whose job it is to understand the implications and risks, and determine whether the request should be approved. Upon approving the RFC, a plan for its successful implementation is drawn up and initiated.
Request for Change Template
The RFC template is filled out for each request and the requestors fill out the top table which contains the following fields:
- When the request was submitted.
- Who requested the change and which division they belong to.
- Their communication methods (E-Mail, Telephone).
- A description of what it is that is being requested.
- Requested Date: When the requester would like the change to be approved.
- A summary description of the request. This description will serve as the main form of information to the request reviewers, in their decision whether to approve or deny the request.
- The cost-benefit analysis: This section lays out the cost and expected earnings of the change, as well as the risks of carrying it out. It also describes how the change will be carried out if it is approved.
Request For Change Template Tracking
The reviewers fill out the table below, which has check boxes which track the Request For Change and also contains the following fields:
- The status of the request (approved or not).
- Any comments by the requester, after the CAB asked their questions.
- Follow-Up Actions: this section includes restrictions of the change, which can serve as a general guideline and a point of no return timeline. This section shouldn’t appear if the request was denied.
- Validation Action by the CAB: This field also outlines the budget allocated to the project, what the timeline of completing the change should be, how it will be tracked and monitored, and what is the priority of the change request.
- The authorization table appears last and lists who requested the change, their supervisor’s name, the owner of the change (if approved) and when the change request was distributed throughout the organization. All of the employees must sign the document.
