A customer request to modify some element of the solution after the scope and funding of the solution have been approved and the project has been initiated.

It can be nearly impossible for the customers and the project team to determine the entire scope and characteristics of a solution during the business case/funding stage of the initiative.

Change requests are made by stakeholders of a solution when they need to modify some material aspect of the solution during the execution of the project.  The change request ensures that any major changes to the requirements of the project are absorbed into the project in a stable methodical way and that the additional funding and timeline changes are officially incorporated into the project.

The business analyst’s job is to make sure they clearly understand the customer requirements for the change, they perform or lead the impact assessment needed to identify the full scope of the change.