Change management is the process of planning, implementing, controlling, and reviewing changes to an organization's processes, systems, infrastructure, and applications. The objective of change management is to ensure that any changes made to an organization's IT environment are carried out in a controlled and coordinated manner, with minimal disruption to the business.
The change management process involves a set of formal procedures that must be followed before, during, and after a change is made. This process typically includes the following steps:
Request for change (RFC): This is the initial step in the change management process where a change request is submitted to the change management team.
Assessment: The change management team evaluates the change request to determine its feasibility and potential impact on the organization's IT environment.
Approval: If the change request is deemed feasible and acceptable, it is approved by the change management team.
Implementation: The change is then implemented according to a set of procedures to ensure that it is carried out in a controlled and coordinated manner.
Testing: Once the change has been implemented, it is tested to ensure that it functions correctly and does not negatively impact the IT environment.
Review: The change management team conducts a post-implementation review to evaluate the effectiveness of the change and identify any areas for improvement.
Change management is a critical process in ensuring the security and stability of an organization's IT environment. By following a structured and formal change management process, organizations can minimize the risk of unexpected downtime or security breaches caused by changes to their IT systems.
