15. Change Management Components

The change management process includes the following components:

Documentation

• Major change management practices begin with a request for change (RFC).
• The RFC moves through various development and test stages until the change is released to end users.
• From first to last, each step is subject to formalized management and decision-making.
• Each step produces accounting or log entries to document its results.

Approval

These processes typically include:

• Evaluating the RFCs for completeness
• Assignment to the proper change authorization process based on risk and organizational practices
• Stakeholder reviews
• Resource identification and allocation
• Appropriate approvals or rejections
• Documentation of approval or rejection

Rollback

• Depending on the nature of the change, different activities may be needed.
• These generally include:
  • Scheduling the change
  • Testing the change
  • Verifying the rollback procedures
  • Implementing the change
  • Evaluating the change for proper and effective operation
  • Documenting the change in the production environment
• Rollback authority is generally defined in the rollback plan.
• Rollback may be immediate or scheduled as a subsequent change if monitoring suggests inadequate performance.