The Value of Change Management

Thought often as "added paperwork" from an engineers perspective, change management is a valuable tool within any IT organization large or small.  When properly setup, Change Management provides:

1. A tool to assess the risk level of a change.
2. A tool to communicate the change to both the IT organization and the affected business units.
3. A history of all changes within an environment.
4. Reduced operational risk due to human error.

In fact, Change Management is one of the most important processes within an IT organization.  Furthermore, ITIL's Service and Support model is considered the defacto standard for Change Management practices in the industry.

The ITIL Model

In the ITIL model, a change goes through various stages.  First, the change is submitted for review.  Once reviewed, planning for the change occurs and then testing.  Once testing is completed successfully, the change can then be scheduled and implemented.  The intention of this process is to make sure that the change has been properly thought through and planned, assessing all risks and putting in processes to mitigate those risks before making the change.  This process reduces the operational risk to the environment undergoing the changes.

When working in a larger organization, specialization may result in an inability for one person to assess the risks of a change.  In this case, discussions with the various stakeholders in the organization needs to occur in order to make sure the risk is properly assesses and mitigated.

The Change Advisory Board

The Change Advisory Board is a very important part of the Change Management process and should consist of various stakeholders, both technical and non-technical alike.  The goal of this group is review the changes and make sure that the proper oversight is applied.  In addition, this group of stakeholders also work to help faciliate communication within the IT organization and any affected business units, therefore this group of people should be individuals with a knowledge of the environment and systems in order to properly assess the changes.

The Organizational Challenge

In concusion, the organizational challenges that exist today will continue to increase and it is best to get started on a solid change management practice sooner rather than later.  Engaging some of the Best Practices found in the ITIL process make sense for all organizations and is a great solution overall for the challenge.

What do you think?

Tell us your thoughts.  Do you think Change management is important in IT?  What challenges have you faced in implementing or not implementing change management?