Change Management Software

IT change management is a key subsection of IT service management. A “change” is an event approved by management and implemented with minimal or accepted risk to the existing IT infrastructure. Changes result in a new status for one or more configuration items (i.e., software models or plans) and increase value for the business. Changes to IT infrastructure can come from various factors including hardware or software changes, changes in a process, changes in technology, or changes in configuration. 

Businesses of any size must be able to manage changes in their workflow task management process. Change in IT management ensures a systematic and efficient approach to managing new IT measures to minimize the number and impact of service incidents. For example, software change management helps make sure methods, processes, and procedures are standardized when used for all changes. It also facilitates efficient and prompt handling of changes, while maintaining a proper balance between the need for change and the potential impact of said change.

A change management system makes it easier for businesses to regulate, automate, and systematize their approach to change in IT. The objective of IT change management is to minimize risk and impact as much as possible while keeping a company’s IT operations running smoothly during the process. It also eases communication between approval managers and speeds up the resolution of tech tickets by ensuring every ticket is brought to the attention of at least one member of the team. This process prevents tech tickets from becoming lost in the system. 

Change execution can be a complicated process due to how often it occurs and how many people are involved in the process. An effective change management system alleviates some of this pressure by automating crucial processes. Change management systems can be used when deploying a bug fix across an application, installing a new data center, upgrading operating systems, and in many more scenarios.

Change management helps businesses reconcile two conflicting expectations: service needs to be stable, yet service also needs to change in response to a company’s needs. IT change management enables rapid change while minimizing the possibility of disruption by applying a systematic approach. Controlled change implementation helps a business avoid service impact and get back on track after a failure.

IT change management is also important because having a standardized best practices framework in place helps employees understand their roles and the procedures they must follow when delivering services. This also helps provide a consistently high level of customer service and support. Employee knowledge and performance tend to improve with the use of a change management system, and customer satisfaction is higher when customers know what they will receive upon reaching out to a business with their concerns. An effective IT change management system allows IT managers to better understand the characteristics of change, so they can prepare for it and create a process to navigate it.

IT change management software simplifies processes by providing customizable tools to manage change requests and change approvals. Since every business is different, change management for IT works best when it’s customized to fit an organization’s specific needs. A flexible change management software program lets IT managers pick and choose how to optimize their operating systems. 

The change management process typically consists of five major procedures:

1. Request for change review
2. Change planning
3. Change approval
4. Change implementation
5. Change closure

After a change request has been made, change coordinators and IT managers create an implementation plan for it. The change manager and a select group of approvers (i.e., customer representatives and service owners) must then approve the planned changes. If the changes are successfully approved, then specialists will make the changes and (after many successful production tests) the change request will be closed out. The IT change management process is one made up of a lot of moving parts, largely depending upon clear communication within a team. 

Change management software can make this journey smoother and faster by automating many of these steps.

Web Help Desk can optimize IT change management in three major ways. First, it integrates IT ticketing with change management software. Since the entire change management process depends on knowing where a ticket is in the pipeline at all times, having embedded ticketing software eliminates uncertainty and helps ensure tickets don’t get lost. Automated approval workflows distribute tickets to the appropriate team member, and targeted reminder emails let approvers know if a ticket has gone unaddressed. Second, the change management software in WHD can be used to automatically create a Change Advisory board, configure approval processes, and choose a voting type—individual or panel—to best fit a company’s needs. Finally, Web Help Desk is designed to clarify communication among team members by automating many of the processes requiring a lot of back and forth between teammates. With a clear system for software change management in place, all IT team members understand their roles and can do them efficiently. Web Help Desk is a comprehensive IT help desk and change management software built to deliver a simple and automated process for managing and controlling change requests.