ChaRM - Change Request Management Tool

ChaRM is also a powerful project change tracking system.
It provides capabilities to:
•Provide traceability to requirements and change requests
•Communicate actions to be taken for each change request by utilizing workflows
•Report and track statuses on individual change requests and the project as a whole
•Provide tracking of approvals for change management auditing
•Provide safeguards to control where transports applied based on the project phase.  Example:  If the project is in the test phase and an attempt is made to apply a project transport to production, there will be a TMS Alert Viewer error message, "You cannot import any requests for project xxxx at the moment." 
Because ChaRM is more than a technical tool, it must be driven by Project Management who must get buy-in from all groups involved.  Project Management must also spend time planning the projects to be used - what type of project, how many projects, and what the timeline should be for each project.
Useful Pointers:
SAP Solution Manager - Change Request Management
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Change Request Management (ChaRM) - SAP Solution Manager

Change Request Management (ChaRM)allows approvals, workflow, and control over SAP change management and associated transports.

Introduction
ChaRM is a must for streamlining standard SAP TMS processes. Enowa’s approach allows clients to start small and continue by rolling out ChaRM for an entire SAP landscape. Activating the Enhanced Change and Transport System (CTS+) extends capabilities to non-ABAP related systems (e.g. changes to PI, BI, EP systems).

Overview of Features
Standard change management processes align with ITIL standards and are available out-of-the-box for processing landscape changes. ChaRM processes support:

Normal Changes – Changes bundled together and moved together into the QAS and PRD systems based on Maintenance Cycles (i.e. weekly, bi-weekly ...).

Urgent Changes – Changes that must be fast-tracked to production and cannot be dependent on a maintenance cycle (i.e. immediate).

Administration Changes – Changes that do not require a transport request, but can be tracked and approved per standard change management process (i.e. number range or table update).

General Changes – Changes that do not require a transport request and are not related to the SAP environment (i.e. adding a printer).

Test Messages – If a normal change must be corrected before moving to production, a Test Message can be created and attached to its corresponding normal change so the two move to production together.

ChaRM is built upon existing TMS settings and the CRM layer of SAP Solution Manager. CRM provides transaction types and is customizable to enable workflow, approvals and notifications.With out-of-the-box reporting capabilities, Change Managers report on the status of changes and identify where a change is within the overall release management process.

Rationale
The scalability of ChaRM is advantageous. ChaRM manages complex system landscapes, specificallySAPlandscapeswhicharegrowing;manuale-mailapprovals/tracking spreadsheets becomes an issue and are not effective. A central, scalable tool to automate change and release management activities is necessary. ChaRM drives the change management process end-to-end ensuring reporting, traceability and satisfying audit requirements.