A lightweight workflow for handling scope changes after storyboard approval

 

Hi everyone,

 

One problem I keep seeing in training projects is that a storyboard is reviewed and approved, but new requests continue to arrive afterward.

 

The issue is usually not the feedback itself. The problem is that a late request can quietly become part of the approved scope without anyone making an explicit decision about:

 

- whether it is inside or outside the original scope;

- what impact it has on course duration and development effort;

- who is responsible for the decision;

- whether it belongs in the current version or a later release.

 

I have been testing a lightweight workflow with three parts.

 

1. Lock the approved baseline

 

Record the original learning objective, approved scope, version, and decision owner.

 

After approval, the baseline should not be silently overwritten.

 

2. Turn every late request into a decision

 

For each request, record:

 

- requester;

- requested change;

- in scope or out of scope;

- impact on duration, effort, and review cycles;

- decision owner;

- target version;

- accept, defer, or reject.

 

3. Separate four different events

 

These should not be treated as the same thing:

 

- Review completed

- Changes requested

- Version approved

- Final release recorded

 

A reviewer finishing their comments does not necessarily mean that the version has been approved, and version approval does not necessarily mean that the course has been released.

 

I also converted this workflow into a small browser-based pilot:

 

https://training-learning-rails.vercel.app/

 

It requires no account, does not upload files, and stores the pilot data only in the user’s own browser.

 

The tool is secondary to the workflow. What I am most interested in understanding is:

 

At what point does this process differ from how SME and stakeholder approval actually works in your organization?

 

I would especially appreciate examples where:

 

- multiple SMEs give conflicting instructions;

- an approved storyboard continues to grow;

- nobody is sure which version was finally approved;

- review completion and final sign-off are confused.

 

Moses