Change Request Workflow in Jama Connect®

Published Date: May 6, 2024
Validated: Yes
Audience: Everyone

Products and Versions Covered:

• Jama Connect® (all supported versions)

Summary

This article describes a customized Change Request (CR) workflow in Jama Connect® that helps teams analyze, review, and implement changes to requirements more effectively.

The workflow improves:

• Visibility into the full impact of a Change Request (CR)
• Collaboration speed when reviewing requirement changes
• Auditability through version comparison and baselines

This workflow is an alternative to the standard Jama Connect® Change Request functionality and relies on relationships, baselines, and reviews to manage the impact of change.

Resolution

Preconditions

Before using this workflow, an administrator must configure:

• A Change Request item type with appropriate attributes and workflow states
• The Relationships widget enabled
• The Change Request widget disabled (legacy functionality)
• Relationship Rules (if applicable) to allow linking between Change Requests and impacted items (e.g., requirements)
• Category visibility and project configuration as needed

1. Create Change Request and View Impact

When a Change Request is identified:

• The Change Owner creates or imports the CR into Jama Connect® (manual entry or via integration/API)
• The Change Owner identifies impacted items (requirements, specs, etc.)
• Relationships are created between the CR and impacted items

This provides full traceability and allows teams to evaluate the downstream impact of the change. 

2. Create Relationships to Impacted Items

To relate impacted items:

• Open the Change Request
• Navigate to the Relationships Widget
• Select Relate Items
• Search for impacted items
• Double-click items to create relationships

This step establishes the impact scope of the CR.

3. Perform Impact Analysis

After relationships are created:

• Run Impact Analysis reports
• Review all downstream and upstream dependencies

The Change Owner evaluates whether each impacted item must change:

• If yes → create a direct relationship to the CR
• If no → move to the next item

Result: all impacted items should be directly or indirectly traceable to the CR.

4. Create CR Filter and Identify Impacted Items

To simplify tracking:

• Create a filter containing the CR and all related items
• Save the filter for reuse and stakeholder review
• Duplicate existing filters if available and update CR criteria

This filter becomes the working view for analysis, review, and baselining.

Now, Change Owners and stakeholders have a filter to see quickly and baseline items related to the CR:

5. Branching Options for Requirements

Option 1: Baseline Approach

• Create an initial baseline (“before” snapshot)
• Apply CR relationships to impacted items
• Modify requirements based on proposed changes
• Use workflow states (e.g., Draft vs Approved) to track changes

Benefits:

• Lightweight and fast
• Built-in version history
• Easy rollback if CR is rejected

Option 2: Reuse (Branching Approach)

• Right-click CR and select Reuse
• Include:
  • Related items
  • Mirrored relationships
• Optionally configure Advanced Reuse rules

Benefits:

• Keeps mainline stable
• Enables parallel work (e.g., testing)
• Provides isolated change workspace

6. Update Requirements and Collaborate

Change Owners use Jama Connect® Review Center to:

• Edit impacted requirements
• Collect structured feedback
• Compare versions automatically
• Reduce offline review cycles and email-based tracking

Benefits:

• Centralized collaboration
• Built-in version comparison
• Reduced meeting overhead
• Improved auditability

7. Create and Manage Reviews

To initiate a review:

• Send CR filter or reused branch to Review Center
• Set review deadline and participants
• Assign roles:
  • Reviewers: comment only
  • Approvers: comment and approve/reject

Publish review iterations as updates are made.

8. Facilitate Stakeholder Review

Stakeholders:

• Receive email notifications
• View proposed changes with side-by-side comparison
• Add comments and mark items reviewed

The Change Owner may:

• Publish multiple review iterations
• Close review when:
  • All approvals are complete
  • Deadline is reached
  • Review is manually closed

9. Approve or Reject Change Request

Option 1: Baseline Approach

Approve:

• Update CR and requirement statuses to approved
• Confirm final version in Jama Connect®

Reject:

• Restore baseline using Replace Current Items with Baseline
• Revert changes and update CR status

Option 2: Reuse Approach

Approve:

• Compare synced items
• Synchronize CR branch changes to mainline

Reject:

• Do not synchronize changes
• Retain branch for audit/history purposes
• Update CR status to rejected

10. Create Baseline Comparison for Audit History

After approval:

• Use Baselines tab to compare:
  • Initial baseline (before changes)
  • Final approved review baseline
• Generate a Baseline Comparison Report (Word document) to show:
  • Before/after changes
  • CR impact summary

This provides audit-ready documentation of the change lifecycle.

Additional Resources

• How Change Requests Work
• Success Programs
• Success Catalog
• Datasheets
• Request a Solution Offering or Training from the Success Catalog

Feedback:
We welcome your input! Please sign in to leave any comments, suggestions, or ideas for improvement below.