Change Control

1. Roles & Responsibilities

IT Team

• Change Manager
  • Oversees the Change Control process.
  • Approves or rejects change requests based on impact analysis.
• IT Admin / Engineers
  • Implement approved changes (patches, upgrades, network reconfigurations).
  • Document technical steps and rollback plans.
• Helpdesk
  • Communicate scheduled changes to end-users.
  • Update incident and change logs.

Facilities Team

• Facilities Change Coordinator
  • Handles changes in physical infrastructure (HVAC upgrades, access control modifications).
  • Ensures compliance with safety standards.
• Vendor Managers
  • Coordinate with external vendors for timely execution.
• Safety Officer
  • Validate safety measures during physical changes.

Leadership / CAB (Change Advisory Board)

• Reviews high-impact changes.
• Ensures alignment with business continuity and compliance.

2. How to Do Change Control (Step-by-Step)

A. Change Request (CR) Submission

• Use a Change Request Form (ITSM tool or template).
• Include:
  • Description of change
  • Reason for change
  • Impact analysis
  • Risk assessment
  • Rollback plan
  • Schedule

B. Change Classification

• Standard Change: Pre-approved, low risk (e.g., password policy update).
• Normal Change: Requires CAB approval (e.g., network upgrade).
• Emergency Change: Immediate action due to critical failure (e.g., ISP outage fix).

C. Impact & Risk Analysis

• Assess:
  • Business impact
  • Downtime risk
  • Security implications
• Use a Risk Matrix (High/Medium/Low).

D. Approval

• CAB reviews and approves/rejects based on risk and business need.

E. Implementation

• Execute during approved maintenance window.
• Follow documented steps and rollback plan.

F. Testing & Validation

• Verify system stability post-change.
• Conduct user acceptance tests if needed.

G. Documentation & Closure

• Update change logs.
• Record lessons learned.
• Communicate completion to stakeholders.

3. Best Practices

• Maintain a Change Calendar for visibility.
• Automate approvals for standard changes.
• Always have a rollback plan.
• Conduct post-change reviews for major changes.
• Align with ITIL Change Management framework.

4. Tools & Templates

• Change Request Form
• Impact Analysis Template
• Risk Matrix
• Change Log
• Rollback Plan