Standard
A low risk/impact, follows a documented procedure or work instruction, frequently occurring, routine change that follows a pre-authorized standard operating procedure. Categorization of a normal change as standard requires three previous examples of successful normal changes following the same process, and must be reviewed by the Change Manager and approved by Voting CAB members.
A low risk (in this case “low risk” is being used as a general term, as opposed to the formal definition calculated by the Risk Questionnaire), frequently occurring, routine change that has a pre-approved Standard Operating Procedure.
A change including routine risks and impacts that has been carried out successfully three previously documented times and contains formal sign-off from Assoc/Assist Director or above can be considered for authorization by Voting CAB as a standard change to implement. (Insert link for a form created to submit for a standard change) – Remember to include what is considered as a Standard Change on the form.
The Change is routinely scheduled on the same day and time each week/month/year, etc. A Standard Change does not require authorization from the Change Advisory Board (CAB) for subsequent deployments. However, a Change request is still required for all Change types, including Standard Business as Usual (BAU) Changes. Characteristics of a standard change include the following:
- The type of change occurs frequently.
- Change has been implemented into production 3 times successfully.
- Always follows the same change plan.
- Always follows the same back-out plan.
- The risk, scope of impact, and potential severity do not significantly change.
- Change is pre-authorized by Voting CAB. No review at the Change Advisory Board meeting is required.
- Authorization delegated to the supplier (perform as needed).
- Small or no risk to the managed IT environment.
- Addresses common requests, see examples listed below:
- Add Database Management System (DBMS) user
- Add a pre-defined Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) application to the desktop
- Add DBMS table space
- Server reboot
To request a new Standard -
Former Standard Business as Usual (BAU) changes can be implemented during normal business hours with an acceptable level of risk and no scheduling restrictions.
Normal
A change that follows the full Change Management process flow and require authorization by the Change Manager or the Change Advisory Board (CAB). Normal Changes are further categorized into low, medium, high or extreme risk. Please refer to the Risk Assessment section below for determining the appropriate level of risk for a change.
Emergency
A change that is time sensitive and must be introduced as soon as possible due to the potential impact to the service or the organization. These changes require prior authorization and cannot be requested retroactively.
Emergency Changes are those changes that are vital to ensure committed service levels are maintained. An Emergency and Emergency Break / Fix Changes should not be used to bypass the appropriate lead time for a change that has been entered into the system.
An ECAB represents authorization for Emergency Changes. The ECAB will vote on whether the Emergency Change should proceed. The Change will only go forward if the vote is unanimous.
Documentation requirements for Emergency Changes are the same as any Change. The Change Initiator is responsible for meeting all requirements for the change before seeking ECAB approval.
Emergency Break / Fix
A change that refers to a service restoration change (i.e., can only be used to restore service during an ongoing outage or degraded performance, not an impending one). These changes can be submitted after the change is implemented, but must be done within 2 business days of implementation. Failure to meet change request lead times does not constitute an emergency.
Emergency Break/Fix Change is a formal request to swiftly implement changes necessary to resolve downed or degraded IT infrastructure, applications, or services. These urgent Changes are made to restore functionality or mitigate a crisis that could significantly disrupt business operations. The Emergency Break/Fix Change must be submitted promptly within 2 business days, and the documentation requirements are the same as for any other change.
If there is customer impact, contact the MSU IT Service Desk at 517-432-6200 to post a service status alert, if applicable.