How to propose changes with RFCs

This article goes over how to propose changes with RFCs (Request for Comments).

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

RFC

Request for Comments (RFC) is a useful tool for proposing, sharing, and discussing a change you’d like to make.

Goals:

• Convey a problem or change.
• Get buy-in from stakeholders for a proposal.
• Document the reasons for a decision.

RFCs can be:

• A process update.
• A technical change.
• A decision on a vendor.
• Anything you want feedback on.

RFC Template

• Date: 20XX-XX-XX
• Author: Your Name

Summary

1–2 sentences that describes your RFC in a high-level.

TypeRatingImpactHigh/Medium/LowEffortHigh/Medium/LowRiskHigh/Medium/Low

What Problem Are We Solving?

Why are we doing this?

What are the pain points?

What use cases does it support?

What is the expected outcome?

How Could We Solve It?

This is the bulk of the RFC so explain your options in as much detail as appropriate.

Try to give each option a fair consideration.

Stakeholders

Who are the reviewers/stakeholders who can approve this RFC?

If it’s your supervisor, please reach out to them first.

Recommendation

What option do you think is best?

What alternatives were considered and what were the reasons for not choosing them?

Areas of Risk

Why should we not do this?

If there are tradeoffs to choosing an approach, please identify them there.

What is the impact on users (external/internal)?

Open Questions

Remaining questions to be answered before the implementation.

Definition of Done

What is required for the RFC to be closed?

This article was originally published on remarkablemark.org on September 14, 2022.