Lesson 4 of 5
Scope governance and change control
9 min
Fit-to-Standard produces a scope: the standard processes in scope plus the approved deltas. SAP's Cloud ALM learning content puts it simply: process scope plus requirements equals project scope. Scope governance is how the program keeps that scope stable enough to plan and test, while still letting genuine changes in. Without it, Realize becomes a second, never-ending Explore.
Baseline at the Explore gate
The Explore quality gate is where the scope becomes a baseline. Contoso's gate checklist asks: are all in-scope solution processes validated in a workshop; is every delta recorded against a process with a business reason, type and priority; have the process owners approved the backlog; and is every approved delta assigned to a release or sprint? After the gate, changes go through change control.
- PrepareScope intentContracted scope and Discover outputs loaded as solution processes
- Explore workshopsScope discoveredFits, values and deltas captured against processes
- Explore gateScope baselinedProcess owners approve the ranked backlog; baseline recorded
- RealizeScope controlledChanges enter through change requests with impact assessment
- DeployScope frozenOnly defect fixes and approved emergency changes
Decision bodies
SAP's guidance for private edition programs recommends a body, often called a standardization board, that governs every deviation from standard and records the business reasoning and decisions. Whatever the name, its job is to ask three questions for each proposed deviation: what the standard-compliant option is, what the total cost of ownership is, and how the solution stays upgradeable.
The change request flow
- RaiseAnyone can raise a change; the owner states the business need and reason
- AssessWorkstreams estimate build, test, data, training and upgrade impact
- DecideThe right body approves, rejects or defers based on the thresholds
- UpdateRequirement and backlog updated in Cloud ALM; plan and test scope adjusted
- CommunicateDecision and rationale shared with the teams it affects
| Change size | Example | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Small: within a sprint, no new objects | Add a field to an output form | Product owner |
| Medium: new object or extra sprint effort | New interface field mapping to the dealer portal | Design authority with Grace |
| Large: date, budget or contract impact | Add plant 1810 Toledo to the go-live scope | Steering committee |
Contoso's change thresholds. Every size includes a test impact estimate.
Early signs of scope creep
- User stories appear in sprints with no parent requirement or solution process.
- Requirements are reworded during the build so they "match" what was built.
- The count of approved requirements keeps rising after the Explore gate with no change requests behind it.
- Test case counts grow faster than requirement counts, because testers are covering behavior nobody approved.
In SAP Cloud ALM, the optional requirement approval step supports this: SAP has added a dedicated requirement approver project role, and approval states are tracked on each requirement. Contoso uses approval for every requirement raised after the Explore gate, so the approval history doubles as the change log.
What would you do?
Two months into Realize, Maria asks to add a new rebate process for Great Lakes Fleet Services. It was not discussed in Fit-to-Standard. The partner says they can "just squeeze it in". What should Grace do?
- Process scope plus approved requirements equals project scope; baseline it at the Explore gate.
- Route changes by size: product owner, design authority or steering committee.
- A standardization board or design authority guards the clean core by reviewing every deviation.
- Every change request needs a test impact estimate before it is approved.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. When is the scope typically baselined?
2. What is the role of a standardization board or design authority?
3. Which change at Contoso should go to the steering committee?
4. What must every Contoso change request include before approval?