Change Management Policy

Purpose

• To increase awareness and understanding of proposed changes to information technology systems and services 
• To ensure that changes are done in a thoughtful manner to minimize the negative impact to customers and the services upon which they rely
• To enhance communication between the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the University community when changes are introduced 

Scope

This policy applies to all changes to the University’s technology infrastructure and information services including servers, networks, telephony, enterprise applications, client environments, utilities and tools provided by OIT.  Modifications made to development and stage systems with no impact on production technology systems and services are outside the scope of this policy. This policy will be reviewed annually by IT Leadership and current CMB co-chairs.

Policy

All changes to the University’s technology infrastructure and information services must follow a structured planning, review and execution process to ensure minimal disruption to University operations. Planned changes will be formally evaluated to ensure that all changes are authorized, technology conflicts are avoided, negative impacts are minimized, and changes are communicated in a timely manner to the University community.  

Proposed changes will be reviewed prior to implementation by the Change Management Board (CMB) within the Office of Information Technology (OIT).   Additionally, changes implemented as an outcome of a University project will also be reviewed by the CMB prior to production installation.  The CMB will include representation from each OIT department and will meet weekly to approve changes prior to implementation.  When urgent, time-sensitive changes must be applied to university systems and services immediately, these emergency changes will be reported to the CMB after the changes have occurred.  

The following exceptions to the change management process do not require review by the CMB:

1. The addition and deletion of network accounts
2. Changes to systems and security monitoring 
3. Routine updates to client computers including system and security patches as well as virus protection  
4. Adds, moves and changes of phones and network jacks related to the physical relocation of personnel.
5. Network changes which have no impact on the University community

Change Management Procedures

 

Purpose

• To define and document the set of procedures followed by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in support of the change management policy
• To ensure a consistent approach in the way that the change management policy is administered and the manner in which the university is informed of changes which may affect them. 

 

Definitions  

Change Management Board (CMB) – Representatives across the OIT division assigned to review change requests.  These representatives have the collective authority to  approve, decline, or defer change requests at CMB meetings.

Change Management Meeting – A weekly meeting of the CMB to review and either approve, deny, or place on hold any scheduled changes. These are held at 10:30am every Thursday.

Change Management Chair – The OIT manager, as appointed by the Director of Infrastructure Services, is responsible for scheduling and running weekly Change Management Board meetings, for final official approval of each change after CMB review via TeamDynamix, and for adding each approved change to the Change Management Calendar. This position is also responsible for entering the resolution for completed changes.

Change Management Co-Chair – An OIT staff member, representing the OIT Project Management Office, is responsible for handling the tasks of the Chair in their absence.

Change Request – Ticket entered in the OIT ticketing system (TeamDynamix) by the change requestor using the “Request For Change” template. The TD ticket includes details of the change, a rollback plan and suggested schedule for said change request, and invokes the approval workflow/notification. Each change request is identified as either “Planned” or “Emergency” via radio button.

Change Management Approval  –  Each change request requires two levels of approval. The first lies with the requestor’s supervisor.  This ensures that the change request will be reviewed during the following CMB meeting. The second and final approval is the responsibility of the Co-Chair once the change is officially reviewed by the CMB.

Change Management Approver – Each unit manager within the OIT division has responsibility for approving change requests made by their staff. They receive notifications via both email and the TeamDynamix portal that there are pending items for review.

Change Management Calendar  – The Change Management calendar is available to all staff, faculty, and students of Saint Joseph’s University. Each approved change request is entered on the calendar subsequent to each CMB meeting.

Planned Change  – A scheduled change; either in support of an ongoing project, or as a result of maintenance, upgrade, or additional functionality

Emergency Change  – A change to address an imminent issue.  These changes are typically made to address either a security vulnerability  or service disruption.

Change Request ID  – Dynamically-assigned via the OIT ticketing system.
 

Procedure

The Change Management Board will discuss two aspects of change:

1. Planned Changes
2. Emergency Changes

 

Planned Changes

Planned changes to the network, applications, systems, and/or devices are determined by need and scheduled by the implementing OIT department.  Once the need for a scheduled change is identified, the change must be entered into TeamDynamix using the “Request For Change” template. To ensure the change has been authorized by the department head of the owning department, the change request must be approved by the Change Management Approver for said department.  Scheduled changes must be submitted to TeamDynamix before each CMB meeting. Planned changes that require external communication must be submitted at least two CMB meetings prior to the date and time of the actual change. 

 

Results of applied planned changes

Results of applied planned changes will be entered into the change request. When the change has been successfully applied, the change request will be marked as resolved. If unsuccessful, the change will either be canceled or placed  on hold, with a detailed explanation. If placed on hold, the calendar entry will either be edited to reflect the new scheduled date, or removed if a new date is unknown.

 

Emergency Changes

Emergency changes are submitted using the change request template in the OITticketing system, but are identified as “emergency.” Emergency changes are necessary to patch security vulnerabilities, address emergent application performance issues, or to mitigate an immediate service delivery outage.  In the event of the latter, OIT’s Unplanned Outage procedure is also invoked. Emergency changes do not require CMB approval, but do require service owner and/or Director level approval. The details and results of each are documented within the change request, and discussed at the next CMB meeting.

 

Change Management Board (CMB) Meeting

The CMB members convene weekly to review changes for the upcoming week. The Change Management Chair or Co-Chair notifies the CMB members of all change requests received prior to the meeting.  Changes included in the schedule are reviewed and discussed by the board members.  Each department which is advancing a change request must be represented at the meeting and the department must be prepared to discuss the proposed changes for their area.

If no conflicts or issues are identified, changes will proceed as scheduled.  If conflicts are potentially determined, or if additional information is requested, then the change will be delayed and rescheduled until the questions of the CMB can be resolved.  

After the CMB meeting, the Change Management Chair will perform the following:

1. Approve the Change Request, changing its status from “New” to “In Process.”
2. Create an entry on the change management calendar identifying the date, time, and duration of said change, with a clear title, and include all details within the calendar event.
3. Mark all completed emergency and planned changes as “Resolved."

 

Change Management Board Membership

The CMB is comprised of at least one individual from each of the following departments of OIT:

Application Services
AV Engineering
Endpoint Solutions
Enterprise Systems Administration
Information Security And Compliance
Network Engineering
Project Management Office
Technology and Classroom Support Services
Telecommunications