OIT Change Management Procedures

OIT Change Management Procedures

A change request allows you to implement a controlled process for the addition, modification, or removal of approved and supported configuration items (CIs). A change request records the detailed information about the change, such as the reason of the change, the priority, the risk, the type of change, and the change category.

Normal changes require the assignment group manager to approve a change request before being submitted to the Change Advisory Board (CAB) for authorization..

Normal changes are not pre-authorized or pre-approved and there are no routine procedures or work instructions that have previously been approved by the CAB. 

There are seven (7) states in the normal change flow:

New Staff member creates a request for change in the ServiceNow platform.
Assess The Assignment Group Manager reviews, validates and dispositions the change request.
Authorize CAB authorizes change request.
Schedule Change request is fully authorized and added to the change calendar/schedule.
Implement Implementation begins and post-implementation testing is performed.
Review Post implementation review for final validation before closure.
Close Change close code and closure notes recorded.  Change is complete.

Standard changes do not need CAB approval and can be scheduled at will.  Standard Change Proposals are submitted to CAB for approval and once approved, are entered into the Standard Change Template Catalog.

Creating the Proposal:

Create proposal   >>   Change Manager review   >>   CAB Disposition   >>   Catalog entry created

Using the Template:

Select template   >>   Create request   >>   Schedule   >>   Implementation   >>   Review    >>    Close

 

Emergency changes are fast tracked to scheduling due to the sense of urgency and are reviewed at the next regular CAB meeting.  

Effectively, the emergency change follows a modified normal change procedure except that: 

  • Because time is of the essence, approval will be given by the Assignment Group Manager, Supervisor, Director or OIT Leadership or through an ad hoc emergency CAB (ECAB). 
  • Testing may be limited or not performed at all if this is considered a necessary risk to deliver the change immediately. 
  • Emergency change documentation can be deferred no more than 1 business day after implementation of the change. 

Short procedure

  • The change requester will notify the assignment group manager, supervisor or director that an emergency change is necessary.  
  • The assignment group manager, supervisor or director will make a determination if the emergency change should proceed.  
  • If the change is approved, the assignment group manager, supervisor or director will notify the OIT leadership.

 

CAB Meeting

The CAB meets weekly on Tuesday at 1:00PM.  

Changes that meet the following criteria will be reviewed at the CAB meeting:

  • Changes must have a planned start date/time after 2:00PM on Tuesday (current CAB).  
  • Changes that are not submitted for CAB approval (Authorize state) by 12:00 PM on Monday may be excluded from the CAB agenda or rejected back to the requester.  The timestamp the change request entered Authorize state will be used.  Please plan accordingly.

Each CAB member will disposition the change request in ServiceNow.

 

CAB Agenda

  • Post implementation review (PIR) of past changes (includes Emergency changes)
  • Forward Schedule of Changes (FSC) of future changes
  • FSC Calendar review
  • Standard Change Proposal review

 

More information can be found in the Knowledge Base for Change Management.