“Could we add one more reporting view?” sounds like a small request. Whether it is small depends on the agreed deliverable, the work already underway and what the addition would displace.
A useful change request begins with the current approved position. Without that reference, the team can debate an attractive idea while talking about different versions of the project.
Describe the before and after
Name the deliverable or requirement and the baseline version being changed. Then describe the proposed difference in plain terms. For an illustrative example, a project currently promises a monthly summary, while the request adds a weekly breakdown by region.
That description creates questions the team can investigate: Are regional fields available? Who would validate them? Does the reporting tool support the additional view? Would the change affect the delivery date or another commitment?
Do not present uncertain estimates as settled facts. Record the assumptions behind the impact assessment and identify what still needs checking. A request can be valuable even when its consequences require more investigation.
Keep assessment, approval and implementation distinct
PMI’s discussion of controlling a project baseline describes tracking potential changes and having authorised people decide whether to approve them. The important distinction is that a proposal does not become part of the approved plan merely because it has been discussed.
Identify who can make the decision under the project’s own governance. Capture approval, rejection or a request for more information. If approved, update the affected plan and communicate the effective version to the people doing the work.
For a small team, a compact record may be enough: request, current baseline, proposed difference, assessed effects, decision owner, outcome and date. The record should fit the work, rather than becoming a form everyone avoids.
Keep the earlier baseline traceable instead of silently overwriting it. That makes it possible to explain later why the deliverable changed and which decision authorised the additional work.
Change control does not require rejecting good ideas. It gives the team a way to accept them deliberately, with the cost to existing commitments visible to the person making the choice.