New Change Record

Mastering Change Records: Analyst's guide for ITSM brilliance!

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

User Persona: Analyst

Log a New Change Record

Seamlessly log a new Change Record in Apex platform, ensuring smooth transitions and enhanced organizational efficiency.

To log a new Change Record, perform the following steps:

1. Login to the application and select User Dashboard.
   
2. Click Service Management.
3. From the left menu, click Change > Manage Change Requests.
4. The list page of all the logged Change Records is displayed.Figure: Manage Change Record - List page
5. Click New to log a new Change Record. The New Change Record page is displayed.
6. Search and 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.
7. Fill in the information in the different fields in the New Change Record page as per the description provided below:
   General

Field	Description
Categorization
Requestor*	Select the name of the Requestor who is requesting the CR from the dropdown menu.
Tenant*	Select the department (tenant) from the dropdown menu for which you want to request the CR.
Change Type*	Search and select the Change Type from the dropdown menu: Emergency, Normal, Retrospective Change, Standard. The Change Type field is populated only after the Tenant is selected. If you select the Change Type as Standard, then a pop-up will appear displaying the Standard Change template. Click Apply to select the template to log the CR. Click Cancel to exit the process to select the Standard Template and return to the New CR screen. (Refer the below sample screenshot) Figure: Import Change Template
Change Category*	Select category of the Change Record by clicking icon. This will display a list categories. Click on the Change Category for which you want to log a CR.
Category*	Search and select the Category from the Category dropdown menu. The options available in the dropdown menu include Large, Medium, Minor, Small.
Tags	Search and add Tags to the CR.
Trigger for Change	Type in a brief description about the scope and the reasons that triggered the CR.
Standard Template Name	The Standard Template Name field helps to identify and select a predefined template that contains a set of standardized information and settings for a specific type of CR. When Analysts log a new CR, they can choose a Standard Template to streamline the process and ensure consistency in documenting changes.
Proposal Justification	The Proposal Justification field is a critical section where you provide a clear and concise explanation for why a particular change is necessary. This justification is crucial for ensuring that all stakeholders understand the reasoning behind the proposed change and can assess its impact on the IT environment.
Is PIR Required	The "Is PIR Required" field refers to the Post Implementation Review. When logging a new Change Record, this field indicates whether a Post Implementation Review is mandatory or optional after the completion of the change process. A Post Implementation Review is a crucial step in the change management process, as it involves assessing the success of the implemented change, identifying any issues or lessons learned, and ensuring that the intended benefits have been realized. Note The Is PIR Required field is automatically enabled when you select Category as Large and Change Type as Normal or Retrospective Change. For other Categories and Change Types, enable it as per the requirement.
Propose For Standard Change	The "Propose for Standard Change" field helps to identify whether the proposed change is a candidate for classification as a Standard Change. Standard Changes are pre-approved, routine modifications that follow established procedures and have a low level of risk. Enable this toggle switch if you want to mark this Change Record as a Standard Change.
Impact
Urgency*	Search and select the Urgency level from the dropdown menu to indicate the Urgency level for the CR: Critical, Low, High, Medium.
Impact*	Search and select the Impact from the dropdown menu to indicate the Impact of the CR: Medium, Critical, High, Low.
Priority*	Search and select the Priority from the dropdown menu to indicate the Priority for the CR: P1, P2, P3, P4.
Risk*	Search and select the Risk value from the dropdown menu to indicate the Risk for the CR: High, Low, Medium.
Timelines
Deadline*	Select the deadline date and time for the CR.
Is Downtime Required?*	Select Yes, if Downtime required during the CR implementation or select No.
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. Note You cannot link a CI, which is already linked to a CR, with the same Planned Start Time and Planned End Time to another CR. You will get an error message. (Refer the below screenshot) Figure: Validation for overlapping CIs
Reschedule Reason*	The Reschedule Reason field is intended to capture the justification and details behind the decision to reschedule a CR. When changes to the originally planned schedule are necessary, it is essential to document the reasons for the rescheduling to ensure clear communication and maintain a comprehensive audit trail. Select the appropriate Reschedule Reason from the dropdown menu.
Communication Plan
Communication Plan Required?	Select No from the dropdown menu, if you do not want to communicate about teh CR and its lifecycle. Select Yes from the dropdown menu, if you want to communicate all the details about the CR. If you select Yes, then the Communication Plan field is displayed and is mandatory to fill its details. In the Communication Plan field mention the strategy and approach for disseminating information related to the proposed CR throughout its lifecycle.

An asterisk (*) represents mandatory field.

7. Click Create Template to save the Change Record as a template. Click Save to save all the details filled in the CR details page. If you do not want to save the details and log a new Change Record, click Cancel to exit the process and go back to the list page.