Change management is the process of planning, implementing, and documenting changes to the network infrastructure, software, hardware, or configuration. It involves the following steps:
* Requesting a change: A change request is a formal document that describes the proposed change, the reason for it, the expected benefits, the potential risks, and the estimated costs and resources.
* Reviewing and approving a change: A change review board (CRB) or a change advisory board (CAB) is a group of stakeholders who evaluate the change request and decide whether to approve, reject, or modify it. The CRB or CAB may also prioritize the change request based on its urgency, impact, and feasibility.
* Scheduling and implementing a change: A change schedule is a calendar that shows when the approved changes will be executed. A change window is a specific time slot allocated for performing the change, usually during off-peak hours or maintenance periods. A change rollback plan is a contingency plan that outlines how to restore the network to its previous state in case of failure or unexpected results.
* Testing and validating a change: A change test plan is a set of procedures and criteria that verify the functionality, performance, and security of the network after the change. A change validation plan is a set of metrics and feedback mechanisms that measure the effectiveness and satisfaction of the change.
* Documenting and communicating a change: A change log is a record of all the changes made to the network, including the date, time, description, status, and outcome of each change. A change notification is a message that informs the affected users, customers, and vendors about the change, its purpose, its impact, and its duration.
Change management is used to enforce and schedule critical updates with supervisory approval and include backup plans in case of failure because it ensures that the updates are aligned with the business objectives, comply with the security policies, minimize the disruption and downtime, and improve the network performance and reliability.
References:
* [CompTIA Network+ N10-008 Certification Study Guide], Chapter 5: Network Operations, Section 5.2:
Change Management, pp. 269-271
* [Professor Messer's CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes], Section 5.2: Change Management, p.
68
* [Professor Messer's CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Training Course], Video 5.2: Change Management,
12:31 minutes