ChangeRequestManagement

Change Request Management is a disciplined process for handling requests to modify an IT service, system, or project. Its objective is to ensure changes are assessed for risk, cost, and benefit; approved by appropriate authorities; implemented with minimal disruption; and reviewed for effectiveness. The process typically covers standard changes as well as non-standard changes, including major updates, defect fixes, and enhancements, and it is often embedded in IT service management frameworks such as ITIL.

Key activities include capturing and logging change requests; classifying changes as standard, normal, or emergency; conducting impact, risk, and resource assessments; obtaining authorization from a Change Advisory Board or designated authority; planning the implementation with back-out and testing strategies; scheduling and communicating with stakeholders; implementing the change; verifying outcomes; updating documentation; and closing the record with a post-implementation review.

Roles commonly involved are the Change Manager, the Change Advisory Board, change implementers, testers, the configuration manager, and service owners. Governance may specify escalation paths, approval thresholds, and independence requirements to ensure objectivity and minimize conflicts of interest.

Artifacts produced during Change Request Management typically include the Change Record or Change Proposal, Backout or Rollback Plans, the Implementation Plan, Test Plans, CAB meeting minutes, and the Post-Implementation Review. Metrics tracked include the number of changes submitted and approved, failure or rollback rates, lead time or cycle time, percentage of emergency changes, and outage duration related to changes.

The practice is widely used in IT service management and can integrate with incident, problem, and release management, supporting stable environments while enabling controlled evolution of services and systems.