Change Requests
A change request is how an active action item gets its dates or its performers changed. It exists so that slipping a deadline is a decision somebody approved, not an edit somebody made.
Change requests apply only to items in the active state. A draft item is simply edited; a completed or cancelled one is closed.
States
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared. |
| In approval | Submitted, waiting for a decision. |
| Approved | Accepted — the change is applied to the action item. |
| Rejected | Declined, with a reason. |
| Cancelled | Withdrawn by the requester. |
The two request types
| Request type | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Due date | The new planned start date and/or the new planned end date. |
| Performer | The new set of performers. |
A request is one type or the other. To change both dates and performers, raise two requests — which is deliberate, since they are usually approved by different people for different reasons.
What is recorded
The request keeps both sides of the change, which is what makes the history readable afterwards:
- Old performers and new performers, for a performer request.
- New planned start date and new planned end date, for a due date request.
- Requested by, with a timestamp.
- Approved by or rejected by, with a timestamp.
- Rejection reason, when declined.
Raising a request
- Open the active action item.
- Choose Request change.
- Select the request type.
- Enter the new dates or the new performers.
- Submit for approval.
The approver receives a task. On approval the change is applied to the action item automatically — you do not have to go back and edit it yourself.
Cancelling
The requester can cancel their own request while it is still in approval.
Raise the request before the date passes, not after. A change request approved on the day the deadline slipped is a decision; one approved three weeks later is paperwork covering a decision nobody made.
A rejected change request leaves the action item exactly as it was — original dates, original performers. The item does not pause while a request is pending, so an overdue item stays overdue until the change is actually approved.