Change an approved design through a Change

Propose a Change to a design that has an approved version, approve or decline it, build it, and see every Change in one list or on a calendar.

In short

Once a design has an approved version, that version moves only through Changes. A person, the AI, a coding agent or the code proposes one. The people who manage the design approve or decline it. The last approval it needs applies the Change and signs the new version.

Before you start

Who: proposing needs Edit. Deciding is for the people who manage the design; in an organization nobody decides their own Change while someone else manages the design.
Plan: Changes come with a paid plan or the 14-day trial. On other plans the Changes kept on a design can still be read. Describing a change is AI work, so on Free it needs your own AI key.
First: a design with an approved version. See /help/designer/sign-off-a-design.

Steps

Open the design, choose "Review" and then "Changes".
Press "Describe a change". "AI help" opens on it. When Changes are already listed, choose "Panels" and then "AI help".
Write "What should change?", such as Customers can cancel an order within an hour, and press "Draft the change".
Press "Show on the canvas" to look at it, then "Propose". The message says "Change proposed".

In "Changes", open a Change marked "Waiting" and press "Decide".
Choose "Approve" or "Decline" and, if you like, write a "Reason". The people on the design read it.
Type "Your password" and press "Approve" or "Decline".

Result: the last approval a Change needs applies it and signs the new version. The Change shows "Approved".

On an approved Change, press "Implement".
Choose the "Board" and press "Make the card". The message says "Card made for the Change".
Open the card on its board to give it to a coding agent. The Change moves to "Building", "Merged" and "Verified" by itself.

In the Designer's side menu, choose "Changes". On a smaller screen it is among the views at the top.
Type in "Search Changes and designs", or choose a "State". "Open (waiting, approved, building)" is shown first.
Under "Show the Changes as", choose "Calendar" to see one month by day, with freeze windows marked. Press a Change to open its design on it.

Good to know

A screen's page proposes its own Change. See /help/designer/draw-a-screen.
Editing the design by hand changes its draft, not the approved version. A Change then says "The draft holds edits no Change brought. Approving signs only this Change."
"Rebase" moves a Change onto the approved version when that version moved on since the Change was proposed. A change that no longer fits is dropped and counted.
"Withdraw" takes back a Change that waits.
In an organization, a freeze window holds every approval that would move an approved design. People who manage the organization's settings add freeze windows under "Change calendar" in "Changes".
"Evidence of the last 90 days" downloads the Changes as PDF or JSON, where you may export evidence.
What happens next: approving moves the approved version and signs it; the plan made from the design then shows what the Change reaches. See /help/designer/what-a-change-reaches.

If something goes wrong

"Changes come with a paid plan or the 14-day trial. The Changes kept here can still be read."
"The approved version moved on since this Change was proposed." - press "Rebase".
"A Change that touches a contract needs two approvers here." - a second person who manages the design approves it too.
"No one can approve this Change until its change request is approved." - the change-advisory board decides first; {{brand}} reads the decision by itself.
"Year-end freeze - no Change moves an approved design now" - a freeze window holds. Changes can still be proposed; approving waits until it ends.