Change Management
Change management is the ITSM process of controlling modifications to IT systems, services, and infrastructure to minimize disruption and ensure changes are implemented successfully.
In Depth
Change management ensures that modifications to IT systems — whether deploying new software, updating configurations, or replacing hardware — are planned, assessed for risk, approved through proper channels, tested, and implemented with minimal service impact. Every change goes through a lifecycle: request, assessment, approval, implementation, review, and closure. AI transforms change management by automating risk assessment (analyzing historical change data to predict the likelihood of failure), optimizing scheduling (recommending change windows with lowest predicted impact), detecting conflicts between simultaneous changes, and monitoring post-implementation health to quickly identify changes that caused new issues.
In customer support environments, effective change management prevents the service disruptions that generate spikes in support tickets.
Related Terms
Incident Management
Incident management is the ITSM process of identifying, logging, categorizing, and resolving unplanned service disruptions to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
Problem Management
Problem management is the ITSM process of identifying and addressing the root causes of recurring incidents to prevent future occurrences and minimize service impact.
IT Service Management
IT Service Management (ITSM) is a set of policies, processes, and procedures for designing, delivering, managing, and improving IT services to meet business needs.
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