Process variations for advanced changes

If you are processing an advanced Change, the Change type that you set determines the process steps that are followed.

The three Change types operate as follows for an advance Change:

Normal

Normal changes require that all of the advanced Change process steps be completed. These changes require a full range of assessments and authorizations to ensure completeness, accuracy, and the least possible disruption across the data center. In addition, these changes must be scheduled to ensure that blackout periods are not violated, that CI modifications occur during defined Change Windows, that Change owners are available to perform the needed tasks, and so on. The normal type is used when a Change will produce impacts on business-critical applications and other critical CIs. Normal Changes might have a high risk, as determined by their impacts and probability of failure. Examples of normal Changes might include an enterprise-wide Microsoft Windows operating system update or an e-mail system upgrade.

Emergency

An emergency Change is one that must be done immediately. It is of a very high priority. An example of an emergency Change might be the installation of new antivirus software during a period of severe viral infestation across the data center. Emergency Changes are ones that are typically not performed often. An emergency Change contains all of the process steps that are followed for a normal change, but some of the steps might be abbreviated and occur more quickly. For example, you might specify fewer assessments or approvals; elect not to seek approvals for scheduling conflicts; and so on.

Standard

Standard Changes are those that are relatively low-risk and well understood. Standard Changes are ones that you process frequently, such as installing a J2EE application or implementing a database, middleware, or server build modification. These Changes do not have wide-ranging impacts on business-critical CIs, and they are processed so often that they do not need to be assessed, approved, or reviewed. A standard Change contains only two phases: Accept and Categorize, and Implement. A standard change is closed after implementation is completed.