ABAP allows you to divide work on large projects among several programmers. Consider an accounting application project with an accounts payable module and an accounts receivable module. The ABAP environment helps you to create a work area in the system for the project. You can then assign tasks to each programmer and follow their work as it progresses.

The tool you use for tracking development projects is called the Workbench Organizer. The Organizer tracks changes to existing SAP development objects and the creation of new objects. If you create a new object, the Organizer asks you for a development class when you try to Save the object:

The Organizer uses the development class to determine whether a change request is required. A change request records the changes made to one or more development objects. The $TMP development class contains local objects. Local objects are not transported and so the Organizer does not monitor them.

If you specify a non-local development class, the system prompts you to enter a change request. The system also queries you for a change request the first time you attempt to change an existing non-local object. The query dialog appears as follows:

When you associate a change with a request, the system creates a task for you under that change request. The organizer creates a task for each programmer making a change under a change request. You can think of a change request as a container of change tasks.

Once you associate an object with a change request, the system views the objects as under development. The object is locked, and cannot be changed by other users. When you have finished creating or changing an object, you release your task. To transport your changes to a production system, you release the change request that held your task.