Raise and adjudicate a change request

A change request is the formal mechanism to move a locked baseline — budget, schedule, or scope. This guide covers raising a change and adjudicating it. Approved changes roll up as variations against the baseline, which stays intact.

Before you start

• You need edit rights on the project.
• Like decisions, changes enforce separation of duties: the person who raises a change cannot approve it.
• A change request is the only way to move a baseline you locked when baselining work packages. Direct edits to a locked baseline are not allowed.

Raise a change

1. Open the project’s Tollgate tab and select Changes.
2. Choose Raise a change (the add action on the register).
3. Describe the change and its reason.
4. Select the dimensions it varies — Scope, Budget, Schedule, Quality, or Other.
5. Enter the impact where relevant — the Δ budget and Δ timeline (in days).
6. Name the approver (a different person).
7. Save. The change enters the register as Proposed and surfaces on Decisions Needed on Investment Health.

Adjudicate the change

The named approver resolves it:

1. Open Changes and find the proposed change.
2. Choose Approve, Reject, or Withdraw.
3. Add a comment — required on Reject.
4. Confirm.

How an approved change affects the baseline

• The baseline is never overwritten. An approved change is recorded as a variation — the delta against the locked baseline.
• The live figure is derived as baseline + the sum of approved variations, shown alongside the baseline so both are visible.
• The count of approved changes this reporting period feeds the Scope RAG on Investment Health.

Note

This keeps the reported budget honest: the original commitment stays on the record, and every movement away from it is an explicit, adjudicated variation.

Related

• Add and baseline work packages.
• Record a decision.