Change Management Overview 2.4.1

Change Management

Key Points

Change Management Overview (00:00-00:22)
- Change is inevitable in IT (new equipment, project shifts).
- Change management ensures smooth, effective implementation.
Change Request (00:22-00:42)
- Official approval process using change order forms.
- Forms include purpose, scope, risk analysis, rollback plan.
Approval Process (00:42-01:06)
- Change board reviews and approves requests.
- Can include managers, project supervisors, CEO, or customer.
Purpose & Scope of Change (01:06-02:40)
- Reasons: Improve processes, reduce costs, add functionality.
- Scope includes: Outcomes, cost, personnel, systems.
- Factors to consider: Desired outcomes, total cost, required personnel, affected systems.
- Sandbox recommended to test before implementation.
Risk Analysis (02:40-03:33)
- Identifies potential problems and mitigation strategies.
- Determines if risks outweigh rewards.
- Written approval necessary to avoid misunderstandings.
Implementation & Documentation (03:33-03:58)
- Documentation is critical throughout the process.
- End user acceptance ensures system functions properly.
Summary of Change Management (03:58-04:17)
- Covers request, approval, risk analysis, implementation, and documentation.
- Documentation prevents problems and maintains transparency.

Summary

Change management is a structured approach to handling modifications in IT projects, ensuring smooth transitions and minimizing risks. Organizations use change order forms to document proposed changes, which must be approved by a change board. Scope includes cost, personnel, systems, and risks. Risk analysis is crucial to determining feasibility. Proper documentation and testing (e.g., sandboxing) prevent disruptions. End user acceptance validates the changes.

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2.4.2 Change Management Facts

This lesson covers the following topics:

Change request
Change approval
Implementation

Change Request

Most organizations have an official approval process for change management. Change order forms are commonly used to document a change request. Change order forms are different at different companies, but they almost always require you to provide a few key things:

Requirement	Description
Purpose of change	This section includes: Why do you want to make this change? Why is the change needed? Will it improve a current process, save money, or add additional functionality? Does the change align with the organization’s current mission and strategy?
Scope of change	The scope asks: What exactly do you want to change? What are the desired outcomes or deliverables? Will you need to request funding to cover new hardware or software? What about man-hours? Will you need programmers or technicians or administrative staff to work on the change? Who is the primary contact? Which existing systems will be impacted? Will there be down time? How will you know that the change is complete, and what quality control measures will you have in place to ensure that the project is complete?
Risk analysis	Risk analysis asks: What is likely to go wrong if we implement these changes? Are the risks worth it?
Backout plan	A backout plan specifies how you will return affected systems to their original states if your implementation fails.

Change Approval

After completing the change request form, it must be approved by a change board. A change board might consist of one person or many people. Change board members are chosen before the project starts. They are the people who must approve changes to the project. Board members might include:

Managers
Project managers
Executive management
Customers

Implementation

During the implementation of a project, make sure to document all changes that have been made along the way. Include any approvals that you received along the way.

Once completed, be sure to follow your organization’s end-user acceptance process. This process ensures that someone who is going to be using the system verifies that it is working as expected. Be sure to document this verification as well.

Note