Change Management

Transforms AI conversation text and requirement discussions into structured change documents with automatic classification, impact analysis, and reference updates.

Core Function

Input: Conversation text + project context + change scope

Output: Structured change document + affected file list + reference updates

Usage

GitHub Copilot Integration (Recommended):

Use this skill directly in Copilot by providing conversation text that contains requirement changes. Copilot will automatically identify changes, classify them, and generate proper documentation.

Example prompt: "Use change-management skill to analyze this conversation for requirement changes and create proper change documentation with impact analysis and reference updates."

Traditional Script Approach:

from change_management import ChangeProcessor processor = ChangeProcessor() result = processor.process_conversation(text=conversation_text, project_id="PRJ-001")

Output Schema

ALWAYS return exactly this JSON structure:

{ "project_id": "string", "changes_identified": [ { "change_id": "PROC-CHG-001", "change_type": "REQ-CHG|REQ-ADD|REQ-REM|SCOPE-CHG|PROC-CHG", "title": "Brief description for filename", "summary": "One-line change summary", "priority": "Low|Medium|High|Critical", "status": "Proposed", "rationale": "Why this change is needed", "current_state": "Description of current requirement/process", "proposed_state": "Description after change", "impact_analysis": { "affected_documents": [ { "file_path": "relative/path/to/file.md", "impact_description": "How this file is affected", "update_required": true } ], "affected_tasks": [ { "task_id": "T2", "impact_description": "How this task is affected" } ], "risk_level": "Low|Medium|High", "estimated_effort": "X hours/days" } } ], "reference_updates": [ { "file_path": "relative/path/to/file.md", "section": "Related Changes", "new_reference": "- PROC-CHG-001 - Description" } ], "next_actions": [ "Action item 1", "Action item 2" ] }

GitHub Copilot Integration

Direct Usage in Copilot Chat

Paste your conversation or discussion text and ask:

@workspace Use the change-management skill to process this conversation:

[PASTE CONVERSATION TEXT HERE]

Project ID: AI-SLOWCOOKER-001 Context: Building Skills project

Identify requirement changes and:

• Classify change types (REQ-CHG, PROC-CHG, etc.)
• Generate impact analysis
• Create proper change documentation
• Identify files needing reference updates
• Suggest next actions

Return structured JSON following the schema.

Copilot Prompt Template

Analyze conversation using change-management methodology:

1. IDENTIFY: Scan for explicit/implicit requirement changes
2. CLASSIFY: Categorize as REQ-CHG|REQ-ADD|REQ-REM|SCOPE-CHG|PROC-CHG
3. ANALYZE: Assess impact on documents, tasks, orgModel files
4. DOCUMENT: Generate structured change document content
5. REFERENCE: Identify files needing reference updates

Output exact JSON schema with changes_identified, reference_updates, next_actions.

Classification Rules

Change Types

• REQ-CHG: Modifications to existing requirements

• REQ-ADD: New requirements added to project scope

• REQ-REM: Requirements removed or marked obsolete

• SCOPE-CHG: Project scope adjustments (budget, timeline, deliverables)

• PROC-CHG: Development process or workflow modifications

Priority Assessment

• Critical: Blocks progress, affects core functionality

• High: Significant impact on project deliverables

• Medium: Moderate impact, can be scheduled normally

• Low: Minor impact, can be deferred

Project Phase Context

• Planning Phase: Changes have higher flexibility, lower implementation cost

• Development Phase: Changes require careful impact assessment, may affect timeline

• Testing Phase: Changes should be minimal, focus on critical fixes only

• Deployment Phase: Only critical changes allowed, require stakeholder approval

Risk Levels

• Low: Minimal impact, easy implementation

• Medium: Some complexity, moderate impact

• High: Significant impact, complex implementation

Processing Rules

• Change Detection: Identify explicit statements ("we need to change") and implicit changes ("actually, it should...")

• Context Awareness: Consider project phase, existing constraints, stakeholder roles

• Impact Analysis: Evaluate effects on requirements, tasks, process models, timeline

• Traceability: Maintain links between changes and affected components

• File Naming: Generate proper filename using format YYYY-MM-DD-{TYPE}-{ID}-{title}.md

Reference Path Patterns

• From Tasks to Changes: ../artifacts/Changes/

• From OrgModel to Changes: ../../projects/{project-name}/artifacts/Changes/

• From Project Root to Changes: artifacts/Changes/

Change ID Management

Sequential ID Generation

• Scan Existing Changes: Check artifacts/Changes/ directory for highest ID number per type

• Auto-Increment Logic: Generate next available ID within change type

• Conflict Prevention: Verify ID uniqueness before document creation

• Cross-Reference Check: Ensure ID not used in any related project files

ID Format Rules

• Pattern: {TYPE}-CHG-{###} where ### is zero-padded 3-digit number

• Examples: REQ-CHG-001 , SCOPE-CHG-015 , PROC-CHG-003

• Numbering: Sequential within each change type, starting from 001

Implementation Algorithm

def generate_change_id(change_type, changes_directory): # Scan existing change files for this type existing_ids = scan_change_files(changes_directory, change_type) # Find highest number max_id = max([extract_id_number(id) for id in existing_ids], default=0) # Generate next ID next_id = f"{change_type}-CHG-{str(max_id + 1).zfill(3)}" # Verify uniqueness across all files verify_id_uniqueness(next_id, project_directory) return next_id

Quality Checks

Change ID Uniqueness:

• Scan all existing change documents for ID conflicts

• Verify ID follows proper format pattern

• Check cross-references in tasks, requirements, and orgModel files

Impact Completeness:

• Every affected document must have specific impact description

• Risk level must align with scope of affected components

• Effort estimation must consider cascading effects

• Missing dependencies must be flagged as incomplete

Reference Accuracy:

• Validate all relative paths resolve correctly from target locations

• Ensure markdown links use proper encoding for spaces/special chars

• Verify referenced files actually exist in project structure

Documentation Standards:

• Title length must be under 80 characters for filename compatibility

• Summary must be single line, under 120 characters

• Rationale must explain business/technical justification

Status Consistency:

• New changes default to "Proposed" status

• Status progression follows: Proposed → Approved → Implemented → Verified

• Critical changes require immediate stakeholder notification

Integration Points

• Requirements Ingest: Changes may trigger re-ingestion of modified requirements

• Task Planning: New changes may spawn additional tasks or modify existing ones

• Status Reporting: Changes feed into project status and progress tracking

• Document Management: Changes integrate with overall project documentation structure

AI Conversation Patterns

Detection Signals

• "We need to change..." / "Actually, we should..."

• "I think the requirement should be..." / "Let me clarify..."

• "Instead of X, we need Y..." / "This doesn't work because..."

• "Add to the scope..." / "Remove from the scope..."

• "The process should..." / "Our workflow needs..."

Context Clues

• Reference to existing requirement documents

• Discussion of implementation challenges

• Stakeholder feedback incorporation

• Technical constraint discoveries

• Business priority adjustments

Error Handling & Validation

Input Validation

Ambiguous Changes: When conversation contains unclear requirements

• Flag as "Needs Clarification" status

• Generate follow-up questions for stakeholders

• Document assumptions made and validation needed

Incomplete Context: When project context is insufficient

• Request additional project information

• Use conservative impact assessment

• Mark analysis as "Preliminary - Requires Project Context"

Conflicting Information: When conversation contains contradictions

• Document all conflicting statements

• Flag for stakeholder resolution

• Do not auto-classify until clarified

Validation Rules

Minimum Required Information:

• Change description (explicit or derivable from context)

• Affected component identification (documents/tasks/processes)

• Business rationale (stated or reasonably inferred)

Quality Thresholds:

• Impact analysis must identify at least 1 affected component

• Risk assessment must align with scope (High risk = multiple components)

• Effort estimation must be within reasonable bounds (1 hour - 2 weeks)

Cross-Reference Validation:

• All mentioned files must exist in project structure

• Task references must match existing task IDs

• Path references must be valid from multiple locations

Error Recovery

• Missing Information: Generate change document with placeholders and flag sections needing input

• Invalid References: Log broken references and suggest corrections

• ID Conflicts: Auto-increment to next available ID and document conflict resolution

File Generation

The skill generates change documents following this template structure:

Change Title

Change ID: {TYPE}-{###}
Date Created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
Status: Proposed
Priority: {Level}
Requested By: [Extracted from context]

Summary

{One-line description}

Change Details

{Detailed description extracted from conversation}

Current State

{Current situation description}

Proposed State

{Desired future state}

Rationale

{Why change is needed}

Impact Analysis

{Generated impact assessment}

Implementation Plan

{Suggested implementation steps}

Acceptance Criteria

{Generated success criteria}