diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 8ffc30f10..28931f013 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ To file feature requests, bugs, or questions, submit an issue at https://github.
 
 To contribute to the project, file a Pull Request at https://github.com/NVIDIA/gpu-operator/pulls. Contributions do not require explicit contributor license agreements (CLA), but we expect contributors to sign their work.
 
+Before beginning implementation or opening a Pull Request for a significant change, first open an issue describing the problem or proposal.
+A significant change includes, but is not limited to, architectural changes, new features, breaking changes to API or behavior, and non-trivial bug fixes.
+
 All contributions must adhere to the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
 
 ## <a name="signing"></a>Signing your work