How do you evaluate and prioritize change requests and feedback in ALM?

1 Define the scope and criteria

The first step is to define the scope and criteria for accepting and rejecting change requests and feedback. You need to have a clear vision of what your software product is supposed to do, and what are the requirements and constraints that guide its development. You also need to establish the criteria for evaluating the impact, feasibility, and value of each change request and feedback. For example, you can use a matrix to rank them based on urgency, importance, effort, and risk.

2 Collect and document

The second step is to collect and document all the change requests and feedback that you receive from various sources. You need to have a system or a tool that allows you to capture, store, and track them. You also need to document the details, such as who requested the change, what is the problem or the need, what is the proposed solution or the suggestion, and when is the expected delivery date. You can use a template or a form to standardize the format and the information.

3 Analyze and validate

The third step is to analyze and validate each change request and feedback. You need to review the scope and criteria that you defined earlier, and apply them to each change request and feedback. You need to assess the impact, feasibility, and value of each change request and feedback, and compare them with the current state and the planned scope of your software product. You also need to validate the source, the rationale, and the evidence of each change request and feedback, and check for any errors, inconsistencies, or conflicts.

4 Prioritize and approve

The fourth step is to prioritize and approve the change requests and feedback that you have analyzed and validated. You need to have a process or a method that allows you to rank the change requests and feedback based on their priority, and decide which ones to accept or reject. You also need to have a mechanism or a authority that allows you to approve or reject the change requests and feedback, and communicate the decision to the relevant parties. You can use a backlog, a roadmap, or a board to visualize and manage the priority and the status of the change requests and feedback.

5 Implement and test

The fifth step is to implement and test the change requests and feedback that you have prioritized and approved. You need to have a workflow or a pipeline that allows you to integrate, build, deploy, and test the changes that you have made to your software product. You also need to have a quality assurance or a verification process that allows you to ensure that the changes meet the requirements, the expectations, and the standards of your software product. You can use a version control, a continuous integration, or a continuous delivery system to automate and streamline the implementation and testing process.

6 Monitor and evaluate

The sixth step is to monitor and evaluate the change requests and feedback that you have implemented and tested. You need to have a feedback loop or a measurement system that allows you to collect, analyze, and report the results, the outcomes, and the impacts of the changes that you have made to your software product. You also need to have a review or a retrospective process that allows you to reflect, learn, and improve from the changes that you have made to your software product. You can use a dashboard, a metric, or a survey tool to monitor and evaluate the performance, the quality, and the satisfaction of your software product.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?