Cloud Management - Deploying and Managing a Cloud Infrastructure - page 103

Change Proposals
Change proposals are the big brothers of RFCs because they are reserved for changes that
have a major organizational impact or financial implications. The main difference between
an RFC and a change proposal is the scope and the level of detail that each one contains.
The RFC is more detailed because it is concerned with smaller and more specific things like
configuration changes or the removal or addition of hardware and software that will have
some effect on certain portions of the organization but has minimal impact on the organi-
zation as a whole.
Change proposals are formal proposals meant to be read by top decision makers since the
scope of the change is encompassing and will greatly affect the whole organization. It includes
an overview of the changes, only detailing strategic benefits to the organization financially
or technically, but it usually doesn't deal with details on how to implement changes; that will
come after approval when the planning process commences.
Change Type
Each change is categorized into a change type depending on the amount of risk and urgency
it carries. There are three types: normal changes, standard changes, and emergency changes.
Normal Changes Normal changes are changes that can be easily evaluated by the defined
change process in place.
Standard Changes Standard changes are those that have been evaluated in the past,
are recurring, or are made periodically. Their impact on the IT organization is already
controlled and minimal. These types of changes are usually immediately approved or
preauthorized.
Emergency Changes Emergency changes are exactly that, urgent. This designation is
used when a high level of urgency is required for the change to be implemented. However,
the proper process must still be followed, albeit there is less time to do each task and
usually a smaller group of people (top managers and decision makers, for instance) are
involved with the evaluation process. In the event of an emergency change, there may not
be enough time to assemble a full change advisory board (CAB), so an emergency change
advisory board (ECAB) should be elected, whose members have the capacity and authority
to quickly evaluate a change request.
Change Manager
The change manager is the person responsible for overseeing all the activities in the change
management process. The change manager, therefore, has the final word in the approval or
rejection of an RFC and also makes certain that all RFCs have followed the defined poli-
cies and procedures. The change manager is also in charge of properly selecting the most
appropriate candidates to sit on the change advisory board, candidates who will provide
all the necessary input to make an informed decision about whether to accept or reject a
request for change.