Change Request
Published by anthropics in knowledge-work-plugins
What this skill does
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.
Add Change Request to your agent
Review the source and files first. When you are ready, copy the prompt instruction or use the CLI command supported by your environment.
Install with a prompt
Paste this into a compatible coding agent:
add this skill "change-request" from https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-pluginsInstall with the CLI
Run this command in a controlled environment after reviewing the repository:
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill change-requestSkill instructions
/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
- Be specific about impact — "Everyone" is not an impact assessment. "200 users in the billing team" is.
- Always have a rollback plan — Even if you're confident, plan for failure.
- Communicate early — Surprises create resistance. Previews create buy-in.
Files included
- SKILL.md

