TechConnect: Change Management Module

TechConnect: Change Management Module

Any time a TTS employee would like to make a change to a production environment at Tufts, they must first go through the change management process.

A change is the addition, modification or removal of anything that could have an effect on a system or IT Service.

All changes are handled within TechConnect’s change management module, which enables all TTS staff to initiate, track, and request approval for changes.

Consider the following factors:

  • Could the modification cause a disruption, incident, problem, confusion, or rework when implemented?
  • Are you altering the functionality of a system?
  • Does the work require service downtime?
  • Are you modifying underlying code that could have an effect on this or other IT services?
  • Does the work require a higher level of approval or oversight?
  • How critical is the system/service to Tufts business functions?

If you are unsure, consult with your manager or the Change Manager. If you determine that your work does not constitute a change, ensure that you are tracking the activity elsewhere in TechConnect.

There are three types of changes. Each type of change is submitted to TechConnect using the same change management module.

  • Normal
    • The majority of changes are normal changes. A normal change hasn’t been pre-approved and does not meet the strict criteria of an emergency change.
  • Emergency
    • Emergency Changes can occur inside or outside business hours. These are changes that cannot wait for the normal approval process.
    • Emergency Changes are susceptible to risk, require Director approval and:
      • Necessitate immediate action to restore a service or to protect electronic records/data, product or IT hardware.
      • Are required to address an immediate security threat.
      • Should be aligned directly with incidents.
      • Are ideally intended to be permanent.
  • Standard
    • Standard changes are repetitive, low-risk modifications to Services or underlying components. Standard changes do not alter the baseline requirements or functionality of the application/system.
    • Standard changes are generally pre-approved and only need to be recorded in TechConnect.
    • After CAB first approves a standard change, a template for that standard change will be created in TechConnect’s Change Management module for future use.