In this tutorial, we will discuss the ITIL Change Evaluation Process. Here in this chapter, you will learn about the Definition, Scope, Objective, Purpose, Roles, and Sub-Process of Change Evaluation - ITIL V3 Process.
What is ITIL Change Evaluation Process?
Change Evaluation is one of the main processes under Service Transition Module of the ITIL best practice framework. We already learned about Change Management process. We may think of this process as an extension of Change Management.
This ITIL Change Evaluation Process comes into the picture, whenever the organization decided to make major changes to their existing infrastructure or services. This process is undertaken separately for managing risks associated with major changes to reduce the chances of failures.
As described in ITIL V3, Change Evaluation Process is initiated from & controlled by change management and taken care of by Change Manager.
This process is tightly bound with some other processes, such as Design Coordination, Transition Planning & Support, and some part of Incident Management.
ITIL Change Evaluation Objective:
The primary objective of ITIL Change Evaluation Process is to assess major Changes, like the introduction of a new service or a substantial change to an existing service, before those Changes are allowed to proceed to the next phase in their lifecycle (Change Lifecycle).
Another objective is to reduce or avoid risks that are associated with major changes.
ITIL V3 Change Evaluation Purpose:
As per ITIL v3, the purpose of this process is to provide a uniform and structured method to determine the performance of a change relating to the likely impact on the business, on any existing or proposed services, and on the current and future IT infrastructure.
It also helps the change management to make the decision on whether a change has to be authorized or not.
The Change Evaluation - ITIL V3 Process must include these activities:
- Identifying risks.
- Evaluating the intended effects of the change.
- Anticipating any unintended effects of the change.
- Verify if the proposed change complies with the organization’s change management policy.
- Presenting a recommendation to change management on whether to proceed to the next stage.
ITIL Change Evaluation Sub-Process:
As defined by ITIL v3, there are four sub-processes of this process. Below are the objectives and descriptions of those sub-processes, followed by a diagram to explain the ITIL Change Evaluation Process flow:
1) Change Evaluation prior to Planning:
To assess & evaluate a proposed major Change before authorizing the Change planning phase.
2) Change Evaluation prior to Build:
To assess & evaluate a proposed major Change before authorizing the Change build phase.
3) Change Evaluation prior to Deployment:
To assess & evaluate a proposed major Change before authorizing the Change deployment phase.
4) Change Evaluation after Deployment:
To assess & evaluate a major Change after it has been implemented, to verify if the Change has met its objectives and to record any lessons learned from this change.
Important Terminologies & Definitions:
Change Evaluation Report:
- In case of Major Changes, like the introduction of a new service or a significant change to an existing service, require a formal and extensive evaluation of the change before its being authorized.
- The results of that formal assessment are documented in this Change Evaluation Report.
Change Management Policy:
- The Change Management Policy specifies the organizational guidelines about the levels of authorization required to authorize different types of Changes and other rules for assessing Changes.
- This is all about assessing and reducing the risks associated with a change.
- Change Management Policy is used as an input to the Change Evaluation Process to validate the change in terms of business strategy.
ITIL Change Evaluation Roles and Responsibilities:
Change Manager:
- As discussed earlier, Change Manager is the Process Owner of this process.
- This role is responsible for controlling this whole process along with change management.
The Roles of ITIL Change Evaluation Process are same as the ITIL Change Management Roles.
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