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change-request

anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins

Create structured change requests with impact analysis, risk assessment, and rollback plans for system or process changes.

What is change-request?

This skill generates formal change management requests following an assess-plan-execute-sustain framework. Use it when proposing changes that need approval, preparing change advisory board (CAB) submissions, documenting deployment risks, or planning stakeholder communications for rollouts.

  • Generate structured change request documents with title, justification, and status tracking
  • Perform impact analysis across users, systems, processes, and costs
  • Assess risks with likelihood, impact, and mitigation strategies
  • Create implementation plans with owners, timelines, and dependencies
  • Draft communication plans targeting specific audiences through appropriate channels
  • Develop step-by-step rollback procedures with triggers and verification steps

How to install change-request

npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill change-request
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How to use change-request

  1. 1.Run `/change-request` followed by a description of the change you're proposing
  2. 2.Provide details about what is changing, who is affected, and why it's needed
  3. 3.Review the generated impact analysis table and add specific details for each area
  4. 4.Complete the risk assessment by identifying potential issues and mitigation steps
  5. 5.Fill in the implementation plan with owners and realistic timelines
  6. 6.Customize the communication plan for your specific audiences and channels
  7. 7.Develop a detailed rollback plan with clear triggers and verification steps
  8. 8.Submit the completed request for required approvals

Use cases

Good for
  • Submitting a system upgrade or migration to a change advisory board for approval
  • Documenting the risks and rollback strategy before a production deployment
  • Planning stakeholder communications for a major process or tool change
  • Creating a formal change record for compliance or audit purposes
  • Preparing a change request that requires multiple approvals from different roles
Who it's for
  • Change managers and change control boards
  • IT operations and deployment teams
  • Project managers planning organizational changes
  • System administrators managing infrastructure updates
  • Business analysts proposing process improvements

change-request FAQ

What if I don't know all the details yet?

Start with what you know and mark sections as 'TBD'. The framework helps you identify what information is missing and what questions to ask stakeholders.

How detailed should the rollback plan be?

Detailed enough that someone unfamiliar with the change could execute it under pressure. Include specific commands, data restoration steps, and how to verify success.

Can this integrate with my ticketing system?

If an ITSM connector is available, the skill can create change request tickets automatically and pull CAB schedules and approval workflows.

What's the difference between impact and risk?

Impact analysis describes who and what is affected by the change. Risk assessment identifies what could go wrong and how to prevent or recover from it.

Should I communicate the change before or after approval?

The framework recommends communicating early to build buy-in, but tailor timing to your organization's culture. Always explain the 'why' before the 'what'.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins.


name: change-request description: Create a change management request with impact analysis and rollback plan. Use when proposing a system or process change that needs approval, preparing a change record for CAB review, documenting risk and rollback steps before a deployment, or planning stakeholder communications for a rollout. argument-hint: "<change description>"

/change-request

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Create a structured change request with impact analysis, risk assessment, and rollback plan.

Usage

/change-request $ARGUMENTS

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 skills 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

## 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 |

If Connectors Available

If ~~ITSM is connected:

  • Create the change request ticket automatically
  • Pull change advisory board schedule and approval workflows

If ~~project tracker is connected:

  • Link to related implementation tasks and dependencies
  • Track change progress against milestones

If ~~chat is connected:

  • Draft stakeholder notifications for the communication plan
  • Post change updates to the relevant team channels

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.