IBM Global Services

ITIL Foundation Course V1.0

Introduction to the IT Infrastructure Library

Change Management

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Unit 06
Change Management

Content:

 Change Management – objective and overview

 Some definitions
 Responsibilities and obligations
 Important aspects:
– RFC content
– Categorization and prioritization of changes
– Change Advisory Board (CAB)
– Interface to other processes
 Benefits and risks
 Best practices
 Summary

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Change Management
Integration into the IPW Model

Source: IPW Model is a trade mark of Quint Wellington and KPN Telecoms

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Change Management
Mission Statement

Change Management ensures that standardized methods and procedures are

used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes, to minimize the impact of
change-related incidents on service quality, and to improve the day-to-day
operations of the organization.
Goal of Change Management:

Efficient and cost-saving

implementation of
authorized changes
with minimum risk
for existing and new IT infrastructure

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Change Management
Some definitions

Change:
 Process of moving from one defined state to another
Request for Change (RFC)
 Request for Change to any component of an IT infrastructure or to any aspect of
an IT service
Change Advisory Board (CAB):
 Body which approves changes and assists Change Management in assessment
and prioritization of changes
CAB/EC:
 CAB Emergency Committee. Convened for urgent changes, or when emergency
decisions have to be made.

Post Implementation Review (PIR):

 Assessment of implemented changes after a predefined period of time.

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Change Management
Why Change Management is so important
 IT becomes an increasingly critical factor for business. Business demands
continuous change as new technologies are adopted. Users demand
increasing services in order to be able to fulfil their tasks. All these factors
require an IT environment in which management and control of changes
are very precisely managed.

 Experience shows that a high percentage of problems with regard to IT

service quality can be traced back to a change of a system. Such problems
cause enormous costs and are becoming less acceptable.

 This module describes the best practices for change management; they
impact the implementation of many other ITSM best practices. Finally, each
development - either relating to capacity management or a service desk -
corresponds with changes which again stand for a risk. That is why a very
strict procedure for effective change management makes sense.

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Change Management
Tasks

Management of
RFCs (change Authorize and
requests) plan changes

Change
Managemen
t

Review of all Monitoring of

implemented change
changes realization,
testing, and
implementation

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Change Management
The Process

Implementation Management

RFC
RFC Preparation Classification
Prioritization Rejection
Approval
Realization Planning
CAB
Test Authorization
Rejection

Implementation Evaluation/PIR
Backout

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Acceptance and
Documentation

PIR
Proof of Success

Release Manager
Implementation

Control and
Authorization

Decline
Test
Test / Reject
Service
ServicePlanning
Planning
Building Review End

Control and Approval Rejected

Realization of
Simple Changes
Changes
Scheduling
and Planning

Processing/
Classification
-Registration-

RFC
RFC

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Change Management
Content of a Request for Change (RFC)

Sponsor
and Change
Requester

Software
Change
Hardware Advisory
Board (CAB)
CIs and so
SLA
on
Documentation
and so on
Purpose
RFC
Environment

Category
Priority
Resource
What?
Cost
Why? Estimation
Impact on
When? Business
Services

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Change Management
Categorization: Minor – Significant – Major

Category of changes is based on impact to environment (risk to the business).

Category 1 (Minor Changes):

Minor impact only, and few “build” or additional “runtime” resources required. The
Change Manager should have delegated authority to authorize and schedule such
changes.

Category 2 (Significant Changes):

Significant impact, significant build or runtime resources required, or both.
The Change Advisory Board should be convened in order to authorize and schedule
such changes.

Category 3 (Major Changes):

Major impact, very large amount of build or runtime resources required, or both; or
impact likely upon other parts of the organization.
The RFC should be referred to the organization's top Management Board or other
appropriate body for discussion and a policy decision.

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Change Management
Prioritization

Every RFC should be allocated a priority that is based on the impact of the
problem and the urgency of the remedy.

Immediate:
Causing loss of service or severe usability problems to a larger number of users, a
mission-critical system, or some equally serious problem. Immediate action required.

High:
Severely affecting some users, or impacting a large number of users.
To be given highest priority for change building, testing, and implementation resources.

Medium:
No severe impact, but rectification cannot be deferred until the next scheduled release
or upgrade. To be allocated medium priority for resources.

Low:
A change is justified and necessary, but can wait until the next scheduled release or
upgrade. Resources to be allocated accordingly.

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Change Management
Composition of the Change Advisory Board (CAB) should reflect user,
customer, and service provider view

Change
Manager Service
(Executive) Level
Manager
Manager
Finance
Dept
CAB/EC
Application
CAB Manager

Release
Manager Experts,
Technical
Consultants
Problem
Manager Services Staff

CAB/EC = Emergency Committee

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Change Management
Optimization can be reached through correlation of RFCs on related CIs

Original request for

change Configuration Management

Software CI to Correlating
be changed education CI

Correlating Correlating
operating CI hardware CI

Summarized request for change

Realistic impact of changes and reduction of bureaucratic expenditure

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Change Management
Interfaces to other SM processes (1)
Initiate change
Capacity Management Identify affected CIs
Configuration Management
Security Management

Service Desk Determine effects of

Configuration Management Data Base

planned changes
Problem Management Reports
RFC Security Management

Account Management Capacity Management

(for customers) Change
Availability and IT Services
Management Continuity Management
Service Build and Test
Process
Transfer Service Level Management
...
Financial Mgmt IT Services
Status Change Report
Distribution
Release Management Update CMDB
Configuration Management

Inform customers Generate new services

Service Desk Service Design

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Change Management
Interfaces to other SM processes (2)

Change Release
Configuration Management
Management Management
Determine
Approve
impact Check distribution
change
of new software
or, if required, the
hardware change

Capacity Configuration Configuration

Management Management Management
Determine Documentation
impact on Determine update CMDB
business and IT affected areas
performance

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Change Management
Benefits

 Better alignment of IT services to business requirements

 Increased visibility and better communication of changes
 Improved risk assessment
 Reduced adverse impact of changes on service quality and SLA
 Fewer backed out failed changes
 Better problem and availability management due to management information on
accumulated changes
 Better productivity of users (fewer disruptions, better service quality)
 Better productivity of IT staff, as duties are better planned, and fewer wrong
changes
 Ability to absorb larger volume of changes
 Better perception of IT by the business
 Reduction in number of changes with adverse impact because of poor CM
 Reduction in number of incidents because of changes
 Low number of urgent changes
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Change Management
Risks

Potential problem areas:

 Tracking of the change lifecycle easily leads to overload for a paper-based system

 Employees try to bypass change management

 Untested backup procedures – failing blackout procedures

 Integration of external suppliers

 Cultural conflicts – lacking acceptance of the change management process

 Frequent refusal due to lack of strategic expedience

 Possible stagnancy due to continuous analyses

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Change Management
Best Practices

 Concurrent integration with configuration and release management

 Include the development environment in the change management process

separately from the production environment

 Assign process responsibility, if possible, independently from the organisation’s

hierarchy

 Conceive separate procedure for urgent changes and standard changes instead of
using the normal change management process

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Change Management
Summary

 The goal of the change management process is to ensure that standardized

methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all
changes, in order to minimize the impact of change-related incidents upon service
quality, and consequently to improve the day-to-day operations of the
organization.
 Implement only authorized changes; minimize risk and costs.
 Request for Change (RFC) applies to all components of the IT infrastructure
 Tasks
– Requests for change management, authorize and plan changes, monitor
realization, test and implementation, support the ongoing needs of business
 CAB and Emergency Committee
 Severity/Priority: urgent, high, medium, low
 Effect - Category: none to significant effect
 Back-out procedure
 Process is always closed with change review

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