Demand
A request for change, recorded as it arrived: who asked, how, when and what.
What it is
A demand is the raw request before anyone has decided what to do about it: the receptionists asking for a longer notice period, a regulator's letter, a customer complaint, an idea from a kickoff. It records who asked, through which channel, when, and in their own words.
Why it matters
Every change should start from someone's need. Recording the request as it came keeps the original voice, lets people compare requests before committing to any, and makes it possible to answer the requester later: what happened to what I asked for?
What goes wrong without it
- Work starts because someone mentioned it in a corridor, and nobody can say who asked for it.
- Requests get lost between e-mail, chat and meetings, and requesters never hear back.
- The team commits to everything, because nothing sits in a queue waiting to be weighed.
What it gives an AI agent
An agent that is asked to "just add it" can instead record the request as a demand and show how it compares with what the solution already does: new, already there, partly there, removed before, or in conflict. People then decide, instead of the agent building every request it hears.
Example: Clinic Booking
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Someone said two hours is too short. | Receptionists (meeting, 3 March): moves made less than two hours before leave slots we cannot refill; we need at least four hours. |
How it relates to the rest
- Answered by one or more initiatives.
- Can lead to new objectives and requirements in that initiative.
- Closes when all its initiatives close.
In Corpole
- Code DMD-…, kept at portfolio (tenant) level. It starts in the Funnel of the Portfolio board.
- People with the portfolio.manage permission review it and link it to a new or open initiative, or mark it Not pursued with a reason.
- The "no work without a demand" gate (enforced, advisory or off) lets work be committed only when its initiative answers a demand.
- Agents record demands with
assess_request;list_demandsandget_demandread them.