Request: Anyone can request a change. The person making the change request may or may not be the same person that performs the analysis or implements the change. When a request for change is received, it may undergo a preliminary review to determine if the requested change is compatible with the organizations business model and practices, and to determine the amount of resources needed to implement the change. Approve: Management runs the business and controls the allocation of resources therefore, management must approve requests for changes and assign a priority for every change. Management might choose to reject a change request if the change is not compatible with the business model, industry standards or best practices. Management might also choose to reject a change request if the change requires more resources than can be allocated for the change. Plan: Planning a change involves discovering the scope and impact of the proposed change; analyzing the complexity of the change; allocation of resources and, developing, testing, and documenting both implementation and back-out plans. Need to define the criteria on which a decision to back out will be made. Test: Every change must be tested in a safe test environment, which closely reflects the actual production environment, before the change is applied to the production environment. The backout plan must also be tested. Schedule: Part of the change review board's responsibility is to assist in the scheduling of changes by reviewing the proposed implementation date for potential conflicts with other scheduled changes or critical business activities. Communicate: Once a change has been scheduled it must be communicated. The communication is to give others the opportunity to remind the change review board about other changes or critical business activities that might have been overlooked when scheduling the change. The communication also serves to make the help desk and users aware that a change is about to occur. Another responsibility of the change review board is to ensure that scheduled changes have been properly communicated to those who will be affected by the change or otherwise have an interest in the change. Implement: At the appointed date and time, the changes must be implemented. Part of the planning process was to develop an implementation plan, testing plan and, a back out plan. If the implementation of the change should fail or, the post implementation testing fails or, other "drop dead" criteria have been met, the back out plan should be implemented. Document: All changes must be documented. The documentation includes the initial request for change, its approval, the priority assigned to it, the implementation, testing and back out plans, the results of the change review board critique, the date/time the change was implemented, who implemented it, and whether the change was implemented successfully, failed or postponed. Post-change review: The change review board should hold a post-implementation review of changes. It is particularly important to review failed and backed out changes. The review board should try to understand the problems that were encountered, and look for areas for improvement.
requESt: anyonE caN requEst a ChanGe. the Person makIng the chaNge rEquESt MAY Or MAy NoT be thE same perSoN that PeRfoRms tHe AnalySIs or iMpleMEnTs the ChANGe. whEn a Request foR cHange is received, It mAy uNdERgo a prelIminaRy reView TO dEtermInE if tHE REquEsteD cHangE IS CoMpaTible wITh tHe OrGanIzaTIOnS busineSS modeL anD pRaCticeS, and to deTermIne the amOuNt oF resOUrces needEd to iMPlEMeNt tHe change. ApproVE: manaGemenT RUns the bUsINesS anD controlS THe aLlOCATioN of rEsources THerefoRe, MaNAgemEnt mUsT ApprOVe reqUests FoR changEs anD aSsiGn A PrioRIty fOr everY chANge. MAnaGEmEnt migHt cHoosE TO rejEct a chanGe requeSt If the chaNge is not cOmpAtIbLE witH the BusINess model, industrY standards oR best pracTIces. mANagEment miGht aLso choOSE tO rEjeCT a ChAnge rEqueST iF the chAnGe RequiREs mOre rESourCes than can be aLLocateD fOr the cHANge. plaN: pLanniNg a changE INvoLVes DiSCoveriNg thE sCOpe aNd imPacT of the PropOsed ChAnGe; ANaLYziNg the compLExIty oF The changE; alLOcAtiOn of REsoURcEs and, dEvelOping, Testing, and documEntIng both impleMentation anD baCk-out plANs. neED tO dEfiNE tHe cRiteria on which a deciSIOn to bAck oUt WilL be madE. Test: EveRY chANge Must Be tested In a safe tEst enVIRonMenT, which CloseLy reFlects the aCtUal productiON eNviroNment, BeFore the cHaNGe iS ApPlieD to The prODUctioN envirONmenT. ThE bacKout pLan musT Also be tEStEd. sChedule: part of the ChAngE reViEw boarD's rEspONsibILitY IS To aSsist IN the scheduLing Of ChanGes By reViEWINg thE pRopOSeD impLemEnTatIoN date FOR poTEntiAl coNfliCtS witH OTher SchEdUlEd chAnges or cRitiCal bUsINeSs ACTiVities. cOMMuniCaTE: OncE a change Has beEn sCHEDUled It musT BE coMMuNIcated. thE commuNIcatiOn is to Give OthERS the oPpoRtuNIty to reMInd The change review Board AboUt other cHangeS Or CrItICal Business aCTivitiES tHat Might hAve BEeN overloOked wheN ScHeDulIng the chAnge. The comMunicatIon also serves to MakE the Help desk and useRS Aware thAt a ChAnGe Is abOut tO OccUr. anOthEr rEsPonsiBiLitY of the cHange reVieW bOard iS to enSure thAT sChEduleD changes hAVe BEen prOpErly commUnicaTeD to ThoSe WhO WiLl be aFfecteD by The CHange oR otHeRWISe Have An iNterESt in thE change. IMpLEMeNt: aT thE aPpoInted dAtE and timE, The chaNGes mUsT Be impLemented. PART oF tHe plANnIng prOceSs WaS To devELop an impLEMeNTation pLan, tEStiNg plaN aND, a back out plAN. iF THE implementation oF The cHaNgE ShouLd fail or, the PosT ImplemEnTatioN TEstinG FAilS or, othEr "drOp deAd" cRiteriA hAve been mEt, ThE BACk out plan shoUld be impLemented. document: ALl chAnGeS mUst BE docuMentEd. tHE documeNTATion IncluDes THE inItial reQuest for ChangE, iTs aPpRovaL, The PriorITY asSiGNeD To IT, THe iMPlemeNtaTion, testIng anD baCk out plANs, the reSultS of the chANGE reVIew boaRd cRiTique, the daTe/time ThE chANgE Was iMPleMented, Who iMplemeNteD it, aNd WHethER tHe ChaNGE wAs impLeMentED SuccessfuLly, FailEd OR PostponeD. PosT-Change RevIew: thE ChaNge reView BOArd shOUlD HoLd a post-IMplementatioN rEviEw oF chanGeS. It is particularly imPoRtaNt to rEview faIlEd anD backed OUt cHAnges. THE ReViEw boaRd sHOuLd trY tO understand the ProbleMs That Were encouNTEReD, aND LoOk fOr aREAs for iMprOVeMent.