Roadmap Change Request Intake (Delivery)

Roadmap Change Request Intake (Delivery)

1. 01

   Log every client change request in a single intake queue before anyone touches the roadmap

   One queue per account, timestamped, with requester name and the client's own words. Verbal asks on calls get written up within 24 hours or they do not exist.

2. 02

   Classify the request as swap, insert, or scope expansion

   A swap trades one item for another inside the same window. An insert adds work to a committed release. Expansion changes the contract. Each class carries a different approval path.

3. 03

   Price the request in delivery terms the client can see

   State which committed items slip, by how many sprint days, and what the downstream dependency cost is. A roadmap tool such as ProductPlan or airfocus makes this visible as a before-and-after timeline rather than a paragraph of apology.

4. 04

   Run the trade-off conversation with the client decision-maker, not the day-to-day contact

   Present two options: accept the slip or defer the new request to the next cycle. Silence is not consent; record the chosen option in writing the same day.

5. 05

   Re-baseline the roadmap and republish it to every stakeholder surface

   Update the shared view, the changelog if one exists, and the retainer status report. ProdPad's Now-Next-Later framing keeps the deferred item visible without implying a date commitment.

6. 06

   Attach the decision record to the roadmap item permanently

   Who asked, what it cost, what was traded away, and the date. This record is the evidence base the next negotiation runs on.

7. 07

   Review the intake log at each monthly account check-in

   Count requests by class. Three or more expansions in a quarter means the retainer scope is mispriced, not that the client is difficult.