Glossary · Change, versions and configuration
Change request
Also known as: Engineering change request (ECR), CR
German: Änderungsantrag
In systems engineering and configuration management, a change request is a formal, identified proposal to modify a baselined item such as a requirement, design, software version or document; it records the reason, the proposed change and the decision taken on it.
- Systems engineering
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
A change request is a formal proposal to modify a baselined requirement, design, software or document, recorded with its reason and decision.
Example
A customer asks for a faster cycle time; the change request lists the affected drive parameters, the safety function response time and the manual chapters that must be reviewed.
How it applies
- Engineering: A change request starts Change control: it is assessed by Impact analysis, approved or rejected and, if approved, implemented against the current Configuration baseline.
- Functional safety: Changes to safety functions need a documented impact analysis and re-verification; the change request is where that decision is recorded.
- Documentation: The documentation team should be a mandatory reviewer on change requests that affect operation, warnings, maintenance intervals or interfaces, so manuals are updated in the same release.
Change request vs. management of change
A change request is a single item. Management of change (MOC) is the overall process (mostly used in process plants) that governs how such requests are raised, assessed for risk, approved and closed.