Change Request Manager
Change management requests with impact analysis, approval workflows, and rollback plans
Every system change is a risk — but writing the impact analysis, approval workflow, communication plan, and rollback procedure takes longer than the change itself. So changes happen without proper documentation, and when things break, nobody knows how to undo them.
Who it's for: IT managers implementing system changes, operations leads managing process updates, compliance officers requiring change documentation, project managers controlling scope changes, DevOps teams managing production deployments
Example
"Create a change request for migrating our CRM to the new platform" → Structured change request with impact analysis across users/systems/processes, risk assessment, step-by-step implementation plan, stakeholder communication plan, and rollback procedure
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# Change Request Manager
Create a structured change request with impact analysis, risk assessment, and rollback plan.
## Change Management Framework
Apply the assess-plan-execute-sustain framework when building the request:
### 1. Assess
- What is changing?
- Who is affected?
- How significant is the change? (Low / Medium / High)
- What resistance should we expect?
### 2. Plan
- Communication plan (who, what, when, how)
- Training plan (what are needed, how to deliver)
- Support plan (help desk, champions, FAQs)
- Timeline with milestones
### 3. Execute
- Announce and explain the "why"
- Train and support
- Monitor adoption
- Address resistance
### 4. Sustain
- Measure adoption and effectiveness
- Reinforce new behaviors
- Address lingering issues
- Document lessons learned
## Communication Principles
- Explain the **why** before the **what**
- Communicate early and often
- Use multiple channels
- Acknowledge what's being lost, not just what's being gained
- Provide a clear path for questions and concerns
## Output
```markdown
## Change Request: [Title]
**Requester:** [Name] | **Date:** [Date] | **Priority:** [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
**Status:** Draft | Pending Approval | Approved | In Progress | Complete
### Description
[What is changing and why]
### Business Justification
[Why this change is needed — cost savings, compliance, efficiency, risk reduction]
### Impact Analysis
| Area | Impact | Details |
|------|--------|---------|
| Users | [High/Med/Low/None] | [Who is affected and how] |
| Systems | [High/Med/Low/None] | [What systems are affected] |
| Processes | [High/Med/Low/None] | [What workflows change] |
| Cost | [High/Med/Low/None] | [Budget impact] |
### Risk Assessment
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [How to mitigate] |
### Implementation Plan
| Step | Owner | Timeline | Dependencies |
|------|-------|----------|--------------|
| [Step] | [Person] | [Date] | [What it depends on] |
### Communication Plan
| Audience | Message | Channel | Timing |
|----------|---------|---------|--------|
| [Who] | [What to tell them] | [How] | [When] |
### Rollback Plan
[Step-by-step plan to reverse the change if needed]
- Trigger: [When to roll back]
- Steps: [How to roll back]
- Verification: [How to confirm rollback worked]
### Approvals Required
| Approver | Role | Status |
|----------|------|--------|
| [Name] | [Role] | Pending |
```
## Tips
1. **Be specific about impact** — "Everyone" is not an impact assessment. "200 users in the billing team" is.
2. **Always have a rollback plan** — Even if you're confident, plan for failure.
3. **Communicate early** — Surprises create resistance. Previews create buy-in.
What This Does
Creates structured change requests using an assess-plan-execute-sustain framework. Generates impact analyses across users, systems, processes, and cost — plus risk assessments, implementation plans, communication plans, and rollback procedures.
Quick Start
Step 1: Download the Template
Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.
Step 2: Set Up Your Project
Create a project folder and place the template inside:
change-management/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── requests/ # Change request documents
└── templates/ # Reusable templates
Step 3: Start Working
claude
Say: "Create a change request for migrating our billing system to Stripe"
What Gets Produced
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Impact Analysis | User, system, process, and cost impact ratings |
| Risk Assessment | Likelihood x impact matrix with mitigations |
| Implementation Plan | Steps, owners, timelines, dependencies |
| Communication Plan | Audience, message, channel, timing |
| Rollback Plan | Triggers, steps, and verification |
| Approvals | Required approvers with status tracking |
Tips
- Be specific about impact — "200 users in the billing team" beats "everyone"
- Always have a rollback plan — Even if you're confident, plan for failure
- Communicate early — Surprises create resistance; previews create buy-in
Example Prompts
"Create a change request for migrating our billing system to Stripe"
"Draft a change request for switching from Slack to Teams"
"Build a change request for the new PTO policy rollout"
"What's the rollback plan for our database migration?"