Change Summary
Concise description of the requested change, what part of the project is affected, and a clear statement of the desired outcome or deliverable modification.
Standardizing change requests reduces misunderstandings, speeds decision-making, and creates a defensible audit trail for approvals and financial adjustments. A formal template also supports version control, consistent cost accounting, and better risk assessment across projects.
Several roles commonly prepare, review, and approve Business PCRs depending on organizational structure and project governance.
Assigning clear roles and routing rules up front reduces delays and ensures accountability when changes are processed.
Prepares the PCR, attaches supporting analysis, proposes schedule and cost impacts, and tracks implementation. Responsible for ensuring the request accurately reflects technical and timeline consequences for the team.
Reviews cost and budget impacts, confirms available funding or change in billing, and signs only after financial validation. Also ensures accounting entries and forecasts are updated post-approval.
Concise description of the requested change, what part of the project is affected, and a clear statement of the desired outcome or deliverable modification.
Technical and operational implications, including affected systems, dependencies, quality criteria, and any required approvals from third parties or regulators.
Line-item cost breakdown, assumptions, contingency allowance, and any changes to billing or contract pricing for accurate financial assessment.
Revised milestones, critical path effects, resource changes, and a proposed implementation window with acceptance criteria defined.
Named approvers, role-based signature fields, dates, and an ordered routing mechanism to ensure authoritative sign-off is captured.
Supporting documents such as quotes, drawings, baseline schedules, risk assessments, and email threads that substantiate the request.
A consistent layout with required fields reduces back-and-forth, ensures comparable reviews, and simplifies data extraction for reporting and audit.
Track each submission and amendment with unique IDs and timestamps to prevent parallel conflicting approvals and to maintain a clear change history.
Built-in signature and date fields allow secure electronic signing, timestamps, and certificates of completion for chain-of-custody evidence.
Allow PDF, DOCX, and spreadsheet attachments and require critical supporting files to be attached before routing for approval.
Submit a PCR as soon as the change is identified, ideally before work begins.
Target response within 3–5 business days for low-impact requests.
Complete approvals within 10 business days for standard requests unless escalation is required.
Begin implementation only after all required approvals and any contract adjustments are executed.
Retain the signed PCR and attachments per corporate retention schedule and legal requirements.
PCR created and supporting documents attached; ID assigned.
Technical and financial assessments completed by responsible teams.
Approvers accept, reject, or request revisions; decision recorded.
Work begins only after approvals; progress logged against updated schedule.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Notification method | Email with optional SMS reminders |
| Authentication | Email link by default; SMS code optional |
| Signature order | Sequential routing with designated approvers |
| Retention policy | Automatic archival after approval, retain per schedule |
Ensure your eSignature and workflow platform supports required file formats, signer authentication, and audit logging for compliance and traceability.
| Criteria | Business PCR | Contract Change Order |
|---|---|---|
| Formal approval required | ||
| Primary use case | internal project change | legal contract amendment |
| Timing | during project execution | after contract modification agreed |
| Recordkeeping | project file and audit trail | contract file and signed amendment |
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
A project team centralized change requests using a standard PCR template to reduce back-and-forth and centralize approvals.
A property management firm used a PCR-style change request to document scope adjustments on renovation projects and to record lien waiver requirements.