# Small-change request

> Assumes a team has a person or role that can approve a limited change. Adapt approval steps to your own policy. This is a pattern-only worksheet; it does not grant approval or trigger a deployment.

Use this request for a change that can be described, reviewed, and reversed without a large program plan. If the change affects safety, legal duties, sensitive information, critical service, or many teams, route it through the appropriate formal review process.

## Request

- **Change title:** [Short name]
- **Requester / role:** [Role]
- **Date submitted:** [Date]
- **Requested timing:** [Date or window]
- **Status:** Draft / Under review / Approved / Declined / Complete
- **Decision owner / role:** [Role]

## What will change

- **Current step or behavior:** [Describe what happens now]
- **Proposed step or behavior:** [Describe the specific difference]
- **Reason for the change:** [Problem or need this addresses]
- **What is out of scope:** [Nearby work this request does not include]
- **People, roles, or systems affected:** [Describe at the level needed to assess impact]

## Impact and readiness

| Area | Expected effect | Unknowns or follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Time or workload | [ ] | [ ] |
| Tools or access | [ ] | [ ] |
| Service or handoffs | [ ] | [ ] |
| Training or communication | [ ] | [ ] |
| Records or information handled | [ ] | [ ] |

- **Main risk if the change goes wrong:** [Risk]
- **How to reduce that risk:** [Action and owner role]
- **How to tell the change worked:** [Observable check and expected result]
- **Who needs to know, and when:** [Audience by role, message, timing]

## Steps and recovery

| Step | Owner role | When or prerequisite | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Make the change | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Check the result | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |

- **Recovery trigger:** [Condition that means stop or reverse]
- **Recovery steps:** [How to return to the prior working state]
- **Recovery owner role:** [Role]
- **Recovery check:** [How to confirm the prior state is restored]

## Decision and follow-through

- **Decision:** Approve / Decline / Revise / Defer
- **Decision and conditions:** [Record the reason and any limits]
- **Decision date:** [Date]
- **Review date:** [Date]
- **Follow-up owner / role:** [Role]

Keep the request limited to the information needed to decide. Store access details and sensitive records in their approved source system.