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IT teams around the world understand that the system changes, when performed poorly, can result in unwanted disruption to business operations. Companies also understand that avoiding change is not an option, as upgrades, patches, and new deployments come with growth.
ServiceNow Change Management allows organisations to plan thoughtfully and implement changes without compromising business continuity. A structured process helps avoid the scenario of using spreadsheets or emails to keep track of the multitude of changes happening, or using separate toolsets to notify the teams impacted by the change. Instead, ServiceNow consolidates everything in one process.
In this guide, we will provide you with information on what change management is in ServiceNow, the different types of changes, workflow, roles, and best practices to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of ServiceNow change management.
What is ServiceNow Change Management?
ServiceNow Change Management is part of the IT Service Management (ITSM) family. Its primary role is to standardize the way IT changes are rolled out. Whether it’s patching for security, updating servers, or dealing with emergency repairs, the module ensures that changes are implemented in a controlled and traceable fashion.
The objective is straightforward: minimize risk, maximize transparency, and ensure each change contributes value rather than complications.
Types of Change Management in ServiceNow
All changes are not created equal. To manage them more effectively, ServiceNow categorizes them into three categories:
- Standard Change: Low-risk, recurring, and pre-approved changes, whose process is repeatable. Example: creating new user accounts.
- Normal Change: Needs risk analysis, planning, and approval. Example: rolling out a new application feature.
- Emergency Change: Critical changes, which must be addressed immediately to resolve high-impact problems. Example: recovering a down database.
This categorization helps ensure that the changes are prioritized and addressed with the appropriate attention. Now, it would be better for you to understand the workflow of this change management process in ServiceNow.
ServiceNow Change Management Workflow
The workflow is the core of the process. It ensures that no change is overlooked without proper consideration. A classic ServiceNow Change Management workflow is as follows
- Request Creation: A change request is created in the system.
- Assessment: Risks, impacts, and resources are assessed.
- Approval: The Change Advisory Board (CAB) or managers approve/reject the request.
- Implementation: The change is executed according to the plan documented.
- Review & Closure: A check after implementation ensures everything is okay.
This step-by-step process maintains the process transparent and predictable. Also, if you are working in this domain, you must know about the several roles of change management.
ServiceNow Change Management Roles
To execute smoothly, roles are well defined in ServiceNow
- Requester: Initiates and requests the change request.
- Change Manager: Manages the entire process and coordinates CAB reviews.
- Approvers: Approve after risk and business impact assessment.
- Implementers: Carry out the approved change.
- Reviewers: Approve and close the change request on completion.
Through role assignment, ServiceNow eliminates ambiguity and fosters responsibility.
Integrated Modules for ServiceNow Change Management
Change Management doesn’t exist alone; it’s linked with other ServiceNow modules
- Incident Management: Associates urgent changes to resolving incidents.
- Problem Management: Recommends permanent resolutions via changes.
- CMDB (Configuration Management Database): Displays system dependencies to determine risks.
- Knowledge Management: Maintains historical learnings to draw upon.
In combination, these modules offer end-to-end visibility of IT operations.
Best Practices for ServiceNow Change Management
To get the most from this module, organizations must adhere to a couple of best practices
- Automate risk and impact evaluations wherever possible.
- Utilize CMDB wisely to see dependencies.
- Maintain a calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts.
- Hold regular CAB meetings, but keep them targeted.
- Always do a post-implementation review to capture lessons learned.
- Enable collaboration among IT, business, and operations teams.
These procedures not only mitigate risks but also enhance trust between departments.
ServiceNow Change Management Tutorial
Here are some quick steps that you can use to see how a new change request is processed in ServiceNow
- Go to the Change Management module.
- Click on Create New to record a request.
- Enter information such as the type of change, risk, schedule, and impacted CI.
- Submit for approval, CAB or manager’s approval, and decide.
- After approval, the change is executed according to the plan.
- Lastly, confirm and close the request.
It’s an easy process, but strong enough to manage sophisticated IT changes.
Summing Up
At last, it is better to say that change cannot be avoided in IT, but disruption can. ServiceNow Change Management provides organizations with a consistent approach to initiate changes, while mitigating risks and maintaining business continuity.
By applying structured workflows, roles, and best practices, organizations can manage anything from normal maintenance updates to critical fixes seamlessly.
