What is ITIL change management and how should you approach it?

“ITIL is a library of best practices for managing IT services and improving IT support and service levels. One of the main goals of ITIL is to promote alignment between IT services and business objectives, even as they change.”

The last phrase in the definition is important: even as they change. One of the key benefits of the ITIL framework is that it enables enterprises to build a stable IT environment that still allows for growth, scale and change. Which is why ITIL is so closely aligned with change management.

Before we dive into how you can use the ITIL change management process in IT service management, we should first understand the evolution of ITIL, and what its guiding principles are today.

The evolution of ITIL

In the 1980s, the UK Government's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) developed ITIL as a set of recommendations designed to standardize IT service management best practices. Back then, ITIL was an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, but it's now a standalone term. The first ITIL certification scheme was launched in the 1990s and, since the turn of the century, three new versions of ITIL have been released.

ITIL was acquired by Axelos (a joint venture between Capita and the UK Cabinet Office) in 2013. The current version, known as ITIL 4, was released in 2019. ITIL has belonged to PeopleCert since the company acquired Axelos in 2021.

The seven guiding principles of ITIL 4 cover organizational change management, communication, measurement and metrics. They are:

1. Focus on value
2. Start where you are
3. Progress iteratively with feedback
4. Collaborate and promote visibility
5. Think and work holistically
6. Keep it simple and practical
7. Optimize and automate

The ITIL change management process explained

The ITIL change management process helps organizations assess, plan and execute changes to their IT environments with minimal downtime and disruption, while maintaining security and customer service quality. A key element of IT service management, ITIL change management involves predicting the potential impact of any change, identifying and mitigating risks, and ensuring any changes maintain the quality of the organization’s IT services.

There are five key stages in the ITIL change management process that any project management team should integrate with their wider change model to ensure successful change:

Stage one - Request for change

An ITIL change request, change proposal or (as it is more formally known) a request for change (RFC) is a document that contains information about the proposed change, such as its purpose, scope and potential impact. It is often compiled by an IT service manager.

Stage two - Assessment of change

Using the change request, the change manager or change agent will assess the proposal to determine resource requirements, technical feasibility and potential risks. They will also assess whether the change aligns with business priorities, organizational objectives and regulatory requirements.

See how Autodesk managed to maintain the data integrity of sales orders between two systems during its ERP transformation.

During the change assessment phase, the project management team may work with a change advisory board (CAB) to determine whether the change should be approved. In case of an emergency change (more on that later), they’re likely to work with a dedicated emergency change advisory board (ECAB).

Stage three - Change approval

Following thorough assessment, the change initiative will either be approved by decision-makers such as the CAB, or it will be rejected, perhaps with recommendations for further refinement.

Stage four - Implementation of change

Once a change request is approved, the change management team will put together an implementation plan that includes resource allocation and training requirements. They will arrange activities like testing and validation within a realistic change schedule. The change plan will also outline how effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders will be maintained throughout the change process. As the change is implemented, the change management team will be involved in change control, ensuring the project stays on track and managing any issues that may arise.

Stage five - Post implementation review

Reviewing the change after the implementation allows the project management team to ensure the change is fully embedded, and assess whether the desired outcomes have been achieved. Stakeholder feedback is an important part of this change evaluation, and can be used for continuous improvement.

Read: The Road to Go-Live Handbook for Running a Data-Driven System Migration

Types of change within ITIL change management

Changes within an IT environment can vary widely in scope and urgency. The change management requirements for a simple software update, for example, or the creation of a new user account, will be far less than for a system transformation or a major failure.

For that reason, ITIL change management recognizes four distinct types of change: standard, normal, major and emergency. The steps of the ITIL change management process that need to be followed will vary slightly depending on the type of change requested.

ITIL standard change

A standard change is a low risk, low impact, often repetitive change that follows a standard operating procedure. Standard changes might include software updates, hardware replacements and user account creations. They are often an element of continuous improvement. Most standard changes only require approval the first time they are made. After that they can be considered pre-approved and will only require the full ITIL change management process to be followed if the standard change is modified in any way.

ITIL normal change

A normal change, sometimes referred to as a minor change, is more substantial than a standard change. It should therefore follow the entire ITIL change management process, including assessment, approvals and post implementation review. When a normal change proves to be low impact and low risk, and is occurring frequently, it may become a standard change.

ITIL major change

Major changes are high risk, high impact changes that will involve multiple parts of an organization. These might include a major website upgrade, a systems migration or a service provider transition. These types of change could significantly impact business operations if they are not handled effectively with thorough assessment, planning and communication. Major changes may require a dedicated change advisory board for approvals.

Explore how retail giant Edeka made a major change to its IT service management processes with Celonis, drastically reducing ticket resolution times.

ITIL emergency change

As the name implies, emergency changes relate to urgent, unexpected disruptions that must be resolved as quickly as possible to minimize their impact on business operations and the customer experience. Emergency changes form part of incident management and might be required to address a security breach or fix a server outage.

Despite the urgency, and the need for a rapid response, it’s particularly important to follow the ITIL change management process with an emergency change, and keep a change record. That said, an emergency change advisory board should be able to expedite the assessment and approval stages of the process. The post implementation review stage is particularly crucial to prevent similar emergencies in the future.