Handling change requests

Projects change. What matters is that changes to scope, price or schedule are agreed in writing before the work happens. This page describes the change request (CR) process.

What counts as a change

  • Adding, removing or altering a deliverable defined in the SOW.
  • Changing a milestone date for reasons not caused by Northwind.
  • Changing acceptance criteria after sign-off.
  • Anything that changes the fee.

Bug fixes within the original scope are not changes. If you are unsure, ask the delivery manager.

Steps

  1. Log it. The project manager records the request in the change log with a CR number such as CR-ACME-03.
  2. Assess. The team estimates the effort, schedule effect and risks. See Estimation.
  3. Price. For fixed-fee work, price the change at the standard rates in Pricing guidelines.
  4. Review internally. The delivery manager approves the CR before it goes to the customer.
  5. Send to the customer with a clear impact summary.
  6. Customer decision. Approved CRs are signed by the customer.
  7. Update the plan. Update scope, schedule and the status report.
  8. Contract amendment if needed. Material changes to a SOW or MSA clause require a formal amendment. Ask Legal; amendments are identified as AMD--NN.

CR form fields

Field Example
CR number CR-ACME-03
Requested by Customer sponsor
Description Add single sign-on to the portal
Effort impact 12 days
Schedule impact Milestone 3 moves by 1 week
Fee impact Additional fee, stated in USD
Approvals Delivery manager, customer sponsor

Approval thresholds

When a change takes the total contract value across a threshold, the approval authority in POL-LEG-001 changes: under $50,000, the Head of Sales; $50,000 to $250,000, the VP Delivery and the General Counsel; over $250,000, the CEO, the CFO and the General Counsel.

Do not work at risk

Do not start extra work on a promise. If the customer insists on a start before signature, get written authorization from the delivery manager and record the risk. Unapproved work cannot be invoiced and eats into margin.

Difficult conversations

Be positive: "We can do that. Here is the effect." If the customer disagrees with the price, involve the account owner (such as Grace Liu) and follow Customer escalation if needed.

See How we run projects and SOW process.

Owner: Henry Brandt - Last updated: 2026-07-14