A Word form for proposing a change to a controlled procedure, work instruction or form. It records what changes and why, what else the change affects, who approved it and how it was rolled out.
New templates, charts and calculators for quality and manufacturing engineers, when they ship.
Anyone who finds a procedure, work instruction or form that is wrong or out of date, and the document controller, process owner and quality approver who process the request.
Tip: Write the reason as the problem, not the solution: "Operators skipped the coolant check because it was not in the steps" tells reviewers more than "add coolant check".
Request
DCR number, date, requester, department, document number, title and current revision
Type of change
New, revision, withdrawal or administrative correction, and urgency
Proposed changes
Section, current content, proposed content and reason
Impact assessment
Other documents, records, training, equipment, customer and risk impact
Review and approval
Role, name, decision, signature and date
Implementation
New revision, effective date, master list, withdrawn copies, training and closure
Example Request at Example Precision Co., a fictional machine shop, to revise a CNC work instruction after an internal nonconformance. All names, numbers and dates are invented for illustration.
| DCR number | DCR-2026-031 |
|---|---|
| Date requested | 2026-03-02 |
| Requested by | Production Supervisor, CNC |
| Document | WI-CNC-012 “Lathe setup and first-off”, rev C |
| Type of change | Revision, routine |
| Section | Current content | Proposed content | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step 4 | Fill coolant tank to the line. | Fill coolant tank and check concentration with the refractometer: 6–8%. | NCR-2026-014: surface finish failures traced to weak coolant; the check was not in the steps. |
| Step 9 | Measure first-off part. | Measure first-off part and record on form QF-021. | First-off results were not being recorded. |
| Other documents affected | Form QF-021 (add coolant column); control plan CP-118 line 3 |
|---|---|
| Training required | All 14 lathe operators, read and sign plus demonstration |
| Customer approval | Not required |
| Approved | Process owner and Quality Manager, 2026-03-06 |
| New revision / effective | Rev D, effective 2026-03-16 |
| Training completed | 14 of 14 operators by 2026-03-13 |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| DCR number | A unique sequential number from the DCR log, so the request can be traced from the revision history. | DCR-2026-031 |
| Document / current revision | Number, title and the revision the request is based on. A request against an old revision may already be out of date. | WI-CNC-012 rev C |
| Type of change | New, revision, withdrawal or administrative correction (typos and formatting that change no requirement). | Revision |
| Current / proposed content | The exact wording or a clear summary of each change. Attach a redline for long documents. | Add concentration check, 6–8% |
| Reason | The problem or requirement driving the change, with a reference such as an NCR, CAPA or audit finding. | NCR-2026-014 |
| Impact assessment | Every document, form, record, training need, piece of equipment or customer approval the change touches. | Form QF-021, control plan CP-118 |
| Decision | Approve, reject (with the reason) or revise and resubmit. | Approve |
| Effective date | When the new revision applies. Leave time to train people before it. | 2026-03-16 |
A document change request covers procedures, work instructions and forms. An engineering change notice covers product design and drawings, where fit, form, function and customer approval matter.
At least the process owner and the function responsible for the QMS, usually quality. Add others when the impact assessment shows a change affects them.
Many companies allow an administrative correction path with a lighter review, as long as no requirement changes. Define the rule in your document control procedure.
Set a target in your procedure and track it. Long approval times push people to work around the documents.
COPLAIN AI PLATFORM
Describe the change and Coplain drafts the revised work instruction from your current version, ready for review.
Generate yours automatically with Coplain →