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Creating Change Records

Creating Change Records


What are Change Records?

You can create new Change Records (CRs) to add, modify, or remove Configuration Items (CIs) in an infrastructure and items associated within the infrastructure. You need to create CRs to add, modify, or remove policies or procedures or to modify the Knowledge Records (KRs). An Incident, Problem, Event, Service Request (SR) can also trigger a CR.

To create new CRs:

  1. Select Change > User > New Change Record. The NEW CHANGE RECORD page is displayed.

NEW CHANGE RECORD page

Figure: NEW CHANGE RECORD page

2. On the NEW CHANGE RECORD page, select the Tenant and fill in the other required details as described in the following table:  

Field

Description

Requestor

The user who requested the CR. When a CR is created from a Service Request (SR), Requester is the user who logged the SR. You can also change the Requester by selecting another user using the Search icon. All the notifications sent to the CR Initiator are also sent to the CR Requester.

Tenant

Select the Tenant from the list.

Log Time

Displays the time and date when the Change Record is created.

Status

Select the status from the list. The status indicates the stage at which a Change Record is in its life cycle, for example, Requested, Approved, Testing, Implemented, and so on. For more information about the various CR status values, see Change Record Status.

Category

Select the Category from the Category list: Small, Medium, and Large

Change Type

Select the Change Type from the list: Standard, Normal, Emergency, and Expedited

The approval process depends on the Change Type you select. For more information about Change Types, see Change Types.

Notes:

If the Authorizer selects Expedited from the Change Type drop-down list:

    • The CAB Approval is skipped, but the Justification field is enabled and becomes mandatory.
    • The Post Implementation Review becomes mandatory.
    • An additional field, Reason for Expedited Change, is displayed.

If Do Not Allow to Update CR Change Type check box is selected on the Tenant page of the Change Management module, Analyst cannot change the Change Type from Standard to other type and vice versa.

Trigger for Change

Type in a brief description about the scope and the reasons that triggered the CR.

Owner Workgroup

Select a Workgroup from the list to indicate as an Owner Workgroup for this CR.

Authorizer Details

Displays the details of the Workgroup Owner after you select the Workgroup in the Owner Workgroup list.

Change Category

Click the search icon and select the category of the Change Record.

Notes:

    • The Change Category field is displayed only after the Tenant is selected.
    • The Change Category field is marked as mandatory only when the CR Status is Requested.

Configuration Items

Allows you to select the CIs related to the CR to indicate the CIs that have an impact due to this CR. Click  icon to open the SELECT CONFIGURATION ITEM pop-up page, where you can search for the CIs and link them with the CR. If you link Services, on saving the CR, the CIs linked to the Service are also linked to the CI under the RELATIONSHIP tab of the CR. You can delink the CIs if you want.

Note: You cannot link a CR with a CI with the same or intermediate dates of Planned Start Date and Planned End Date as the already linked CRs. An error message about the conflicting implementation time of the CR is displayed. The CR, which is selected to link with the CI, should not be in Implemented, Cancelled, Closed, or Not Authorized status.

Attachment

Click the Upload icon to upload the required file.

3. Type in the other required fields under the GENERAL, RISK, LOGS, TEST, RELATIONSHIP, RELEASE, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, and REQUIREMENTS tabs. For more information about the fields under these tabs on the NEW CHANGE RECORD page, see Field Description. 

4. Click SUBMIT. A new CR is created.

Saving as Draft

You can also save a CR as draft. You need to follow the same steps as creating a CR. However, instead of clicking SUBMIT, you need to click SAVE DRAFT. You can view the draft CRs on the CHANGE RECORD LIST page (Change > View Change Record List). Click the Filter icon on the ACTIONS panel and select Status as Draft on the FILTERS pop-up page. If the CR is in Draft status, you cannot create a new Incident, Problem Record (PR), and a new Work Order and link them with the CR (see: RELATIONSHIP Tab). The CR is Draft status can be modified further before saving and submitting as CR.

Field Description

This section describes the fields on the NEW CHANGE RECORD page.

 GENERAL Tab

You can provide the general information about the CR, such as Risk, Priority, deadline, assigned Workgroups, time lines, and so on under the GENERAL tab.

GENERAL tab

Figure: GENERAL tab

The following table describes the fields under the GENERAL tab:

Field

Description

WORKFLOW

User Selectable Approval

If the Requester is allowed to select the approver on the WORKFLOW page, this field appears to select Approver for the specific approval level.
 
To add user,

  • Click any approval level. select user pop-up appears.
    Figure: User Selectable Approver: Add User
  • Type in user name and select the name from the list. The selected user name appears in the added list.
  • Click the delete icon to remove users from the list.

Notes:

  • If there is a Conditional Workflow and the condition is based on a Custom Attribute while rising the CR, the condition is considered based on Custom Attribute selection. Once the CR is raised and if you change the Custom Attribute, the Workflow is rerouted based on the Custom Attribute selection.
  • If there are multiple conditions available, while updating the CR, the Workflow is evaluated from the beginning of the Workflow and rerouted accordingly.
  • While updating the CR if the workflow is rerouted and few approvals are already done and the same approval exists in the new flow, it retains the previous approval statuses.
  • If in the new Workflow any End User approval is required, it takes the existing Approvers filled by the requester at the time of raising the CR.
  • The reason for workflow changes are reflected on the CHANGE HISTORY page.

DETAILS

IMPACT

Urgency

Select the Urgency level from the list to indicate the Urgency level for the CR.

Impact

Select the Impact from the list to indicate the Impact of the CR.

Risk

Select the Risk from the list to indicate the Risk for the CR. If Business Risk and Operational Risk are configured, the Risk Matrix is configured automatically else user Analyst needs to configure the Risk .

Priority

Select the Priority from the list to indicate the Priority for the CR.

Business Risk

  • If Business Risk is configured as mandatory for a Change Type on the  FIELD CONFIGURATION page, Analyst needs to select Risk questions and answers, configured for the selected Change Type. Business Risk pop-up page
    Figure: Business Risk pop-up page
  • If Business Risk is not configured as mandatory for a Change Type on the  FIELD CONFIGURATION page, the field is auto-populated based on the answers in the Risk Assessment pop-up page. The Risk value for each question is configured on the RISK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS page, see Configuring Risk Questions and Answers.

Operational Risk

  • If Operational Risk is configured as mandatory for a Change Type on the  FIELD CONFIGURATION page, Analyst needs to select Risk questions and answers, configured for the selected Change Type.

Operational Risk pop-up page
Figure: Operational Risk pop-up page

  • If Operational Risk is not configured as mandatory for a Change Type on the  FIELD CONFIGURATION page, the field is auto-populated based on the answers in the Risk Assessment pop-up page. The Risk value for each question is configured on the RISK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS page, see Configuring Risk Questions and Answers.

ASSIGNMENTS

Assigned Workgroup

Select the Workgroup,you want to assign the CR.

TIMELINES

Deadline

Select the deadline date and time for the CR.

Is Downtime Required?

Select Yes or No to indicate if a downtime is required during the CR implementation.

Planned Start Time

Click the Calendar icon to select the planned start date and time for the CR. Notification e-mails are sent to the CR Requestor, assigned Analysts, and Workgroup Owners on the planned start date.

Planned End Time

Click the Calendar icon to select the planned end date and time for the CR.

Downtime Start

Click the Calendar icon to select the downtime date and time for the CR.

Downtime End

Specify the downtime end date and time for a CR. You can click the Calendar icon to select a date.

Customer

Select the customer name from the list for the CR.

Cost

Lists the configured currency types. Select the currency type from the list and type in the cost involved in the CR. This field is mandatory if configured by the Administrator (see: Configuring Change Management Module).

Customer Approval Required

Select this check box if the CR requires a customer approval. If selected, type in the Approver's name in the Approvers field and select when the Customer Approval is required, i.e. Before CAB Approval or After CAB Approval.

Customer Acceptance Test Required

Select this check box if the CR requires a customer acceptance test. If selected, type in the Tester name in the Testers field. The configured customer (Tester) can perform acceptance tests and update the CR. The customer receives a notification under APPROVALS (see: Describing the User Interface). On clicking the CR ID, the CHANGE RECORD ID page is displayed. The customer can update the test details under the TEST tab. All other fields and tabs are disabled for the customer.

Escalate

Allows you to escalate a CR when the deadline exceeds the defined time period.

DESCRIPTION

Type in the description of the CR.

INFORMATION

Type in the available information about the CR.

COMMUNICATION PLAN

Communication Plan Required ?

Select the appropriate option in the drop-down list.

Communication Plan

Type in the communication plan. This field is displayed if you select yes on Communication Plan Required? field.

e-CAB Approval Required

The field is displayed when the Change Type is selected as Emergency. Select the required option in the drop-down list to configure the e-cab approval before or after the change implementation.

Closure Code

This field is enabled only after the CR is set to Resolved. Select the Closure Code from the list.

Closure Category

Select the Closure Category.

 RISK Tab

The Risks associated with the CR need to be analyzed. Under the RISK tab, you can capture the Risk details before and after the CR is implemented. You can also capture the downtime, Service outage, and the System Impact to implement the CR.

Figure: RISK tab

The following table describes the fields under the RISK tab:

Field

Description

Risk of Change Failure

Type in the Risk involved in case the CR fails.

Business Impact (As per User)

Type in the impact on business as per the User.

Business Impact of Change Failure

Type in the impact on business in case the CR fails.

Back-Out Plan

Type in the Back-out Plan for the CR.

Back-Out Plan Tested

Select from the drop-down list to indicate that the Back-out Plan is tested.

Back-Out Plan Not Tested Reason

Specify the reason why the Back-out Plan is not tested.

System Impact

Select a value for System Impact in the drop-down list.

Remarks

Type in any notes or comments about the CR. This field can be mandatory or optional based on the configuration set by the Administrators.

Impact Of Not Implementing Change

Type in the impact if the changes are not implemented.

Attachment

Specify any reference file path to add as an additional reference material. You can also click Upload icon to choose an appropriate file to attach as a reference material for a test plan of a CR.

 LOGS Tab

The observations and notes made by the Change Manager, Configuration Team, and Change Advisory Board members should be documented. Under the LOGS tab, you can capture all these detail, such as information log, configuration team log, Change Manager log, and Change Advisory Board Member log.

LOGS tab

Figure: LOGS tab

The following table describes the fields under the LOGS tab:

Field

Description

Analyst Log

Allows the Analyst to type in information about the CR.

Configuration Team Log

Allows the Configuration Team to type in their notes and observations related to the CR.

Change Manager Log

Allows the Change Manager to type in their notes and observations related to the CR.

Change Advisory Board Member Log

Allows the CAB members to type in their notes and observations related to the CR.

 TEST Tab

The CR needs to be tested before it is implemented. You can capture the testing details of the Change Record (CR) and log the defects under the TEST tab. The test details, such as Test Stage, Test Planned Date, Test Plan, Test Results, Actual Test Date, Workgroup, Conducted by/owner, Test Status, Attachment, and so on can be updated.

TEST tab

Figure: TEST tab

The following table describes the fields under the TEST tab: