Change management with ServiceDesk Plus Cloud

Summary

This video tutorial introduces the change management module in ManageEngine Service-Plus, a cloud-based help desk solution. It guides viewers through creating a change request, either from scratch or by converting a request or problem. The process includes specifying change details, assigning technicians, and defining plans such as impact and rollback. The video also covers the approval workflow involving Change Advisory Board (CAB) members, and the technician's subsequent steps post-approval, like adding tasks and work logs. Additionally, it touches on associating changes with requests and problems, setting up notifications, and generating reports for change management activities.

Takeaways

• 🔧 The video introduces the change management module in ManageEngine Service-Plus, a cloud-based IT service management solution.
• ➕ Changes can be created directly in the module or converted from requests or problems within the application.
• 📅 Users can specify details such as the name of the requester, change details, and the type of change, including pre-approved change types like 'Standard'.
• 📝 When creating a change, users can schedule a time and date for the change, and also list affected services and involved assets.
• 📂 Attachments can be added to changes with a file size limit of 10 MB per attachment.
• 👤 Once a change is created, it can be assigned to a technician who can then define planning details such as impact, rollback plans, and checklists.
• 🔄 The approval process involves submitting change requests to CAB (Change Advisory Board) members for review and approval.
• 👥 CAB members can be added and managed by going to the setup under customization, and any logged-in user can be a CAB member.
• 🔔 Notifications are sent to CAB members for change approval, and they can approve or reject changes through email or the portal.
• 📊 The application provides dashboards and reporting features for monitoring and analyzing change management activities.
• 🔔 Notifications for changes can be set up in the application to keep stakeholders informed about change statuses and updates.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video?

The video primarily focuses on demonstrating the change management module within ManageEngine Service-Plus, a cloud-based help desk solution.

How can a change be initiated in ManageEngine Service-Plus?

A change can be initiated by either creating it directly from the change module or by converting a request or a problem into a change within the application.

What details are required when creating a new change?

When creating a new change, you need to specify details such as the name of the requester, the details of the change, and the type of change. You can also define change types in the application, with some being pre-approved by default.

What is the significance of the change type being 'standard' or 'major'?

The change type being 'standard' or 'major' influences the approval process. A 'standard' change is pre-approved, whereas a 'major' change requires a more detailed review and approval process.

How can the scheduled time and date for a change be specified?

The scheduled time and date for a change can be specified when creating the change by entering the details in the respective fields within the change creation interface.

What information can be attached to a change request?

Files can be attached to a change request with a size limit of 10 MB per attachment. This can include documents or other relevant files that provide additional context or details about the change.

How is a change assigned to a technician in the system?

A change is assigned to a technician by clicking the technician drop-down menu and selecting the appropriate technician's name from the list.

What is the role of the Change Advisory Board (CAB) in the change management process?

The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is responsible for reviewing and approving change requests. CAB members can be added and managed by going to the setup under customization and selecting the change management section.

How does a CAB member review and provide recommendations for a change?

A CAB member reviews a change and provides recommendations by either approving or rejecting it, and can add comments to support their decision. This is done through the application interface after the change has been sent for their review.

What actions can a technician take after a change has been approved?

After a change has been approved, a technician can proceed with specifying tasks, adding work logs, conducting reviews, and setting reminders and notifications. They can also attach reviews as text or files.

How can requests and problems be associated with a change?

Requests and problems can be associated with a change by clicking on the 'attach' button, selecting the relevant incidents, and then clicking on the 'associate' button.

Are there any reporting and dashboard features available for change management?

Yes, ManageEngine Service-Plus provides predefined reports and the ability to create custom reports for changes in the report module. Additionally, there is a dashboard that offers a quick overview of the change management activities within the application.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Change Management Module Overview

This video introduces the change management module in ManageEngine Service-Plus, a cloud-based helpdesk solution. It explains how changes can be initiated directly or converted from requests or problems. The workflow involves creating a new change, specifying details such as the name, requester, and type of change. Pre-approved change types like 'standard' are mentioned. The process includes scheduling the change, identifying affected services and assets, and attaching files with a 10 MB limit. After creation, changes can be assigned to technicians who then define planning details like impact, rollback plans, and checklists. The video also covers the approval process involving Change Advisory Board (CAB) members, who can approve or reject changes after receiving email notifications or through the portal. Once approved, technicians can proceed with tasks, work logs, and reviews, and set reminders and notifications. The video concludes by mentioning the ability to associate requests and problems with changes, and the availability of notifications and reporting features for change management.

Keywords

💡Change Management Module

The Change Management Module is a feature within the ManageEngine Service-Plus application that allows for the systematic handling of changes in an IT environment. It is designed to ensure that all changes are properly documented, assessed, and approved before implementation. In the video, this module is central to the workflow, enabling the creation, approval, and tracking of changes to IT services and assets.

💡Change Request

A Change Request is a formal proposal for making a change to an IT service, system, or asset. It is a key component of the Change Management Module, as it outlines the details of the change, such as the name of the requester, the reason for the change, and the type of change. In the video, creating a change request involves specifying details and scheduling the change, which is then subject to approval processes.

💡Pre-approved Change

A Pre-approved Change is a type of change that does not require a full approval process due to its low risk or predefined nature. In the script, 'standard' is mentioned as an example of a pre-approved change type, which streamlines the process for certain routine or low-impact changes.

💡Change Advisory Board (CAB)

The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a group of stakeholders responsible for reviewing, evaluating, and approving changes within an organization. In the video, the CAB is depicted as a critical part of the change approval process, with members receiving change requests for review and making recommendations or approvals.

💡Approval Status

The Approval Status refers to the current state of a change request in terms of its approval or rejection. It is a crucial aspect of the change management process, as it indicates whether a change can proceed or needs further action. In the video, the approval status is updated as the change goes through the approval process, with notifications sent to relevant parties.

💡Technician

A Technician, in the context of the video, is an individual responsible for implementing the changes once they are approved. They are assigned to change requests and are responsible for defining the planning, including impact plans, rollback plans, and checklists. The script describes how technicians can submit change requests for approval and proceed with the change once it is approved.

💡Asset

An Asset in IT refers to any hardware, software, or data resource that is used by an organization. In the video, assets are mentioned as part of the change process, where changes can affect certain assets, and these must be specified when creating a change request to ensure proper assessment of the change's impact.

💡Notification

Notifications in the context of the video are alerts or messages sent to users within the application to inform them of updates or actions required, such as a change request needing approval. The script mentions setting up notification rules for changes, ensuring that all relevant parties are kept informed about the status of change requests.

💡Dashboard

A Dashboard in the ManageEngine Service-Plus application provides a visual overview of the change management activities. It allows users to quickly see the status of changes, approvals, and other relevant metrics. The video script describes the dashboard as a tool for gaining insights into the ongoing change management processes.

💡Custom Report

A Custom Report is a user-defined report that can be generated within the application to meet specific data analysis needs. In the video, it is mentioned that users can create custom reports for changes, allowing for tailored insights into the change management process beyond the predefined reports.

Highlights

Introduction to ManageEngine Service-Plus and its cloud-based helpdesk solution.

Explaining the change management module and its creation process.

Demonstration of creating a change directly from the change module.

Conversion of requests or problems into changes within the application.

Workflow for creating a new change, including specifying details like name, requester, and change type.

Pre-approval of certain change types, such as 'standard' changes.

Creating a 'major' change to illustrate the approval process.

Scheduling changes with specific dates and times.

Specifying affected services and involved assets for a change.

Attachment of files to changes with a 10 MB size limit per attachment.

Overview of the change window and its details post-creation.

Assigning changes to technicians and defining planning details.

Submission of change requests for approval by CAB members.

Creating and managing Change Advisory Board (CAB) members.

Process of submitting changes for approval and receiving email notifications.

Technician's role in reviewing and acting on CAB recommendations.

Change manager's authority to approve or reject changes after CAB recommendations.

Technician's ability to proceed with the change after approval, including task specification and work log addition.

Association of requests and problems to changes for better tracking.

Enabling notifications for changes in the application settings.

Generation of predefined and custom reports for changes.

Utilization of the dashboard for a quick overview of change management activities.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to another video for

manage engine service - plus the

cloud-based help the solution today we

will be taking a look at the change

management module a change can be

created directly from the change module

or a request or a problem can be

converted to a change in the application

let's take a look at the workflow go to

the changes tab to create a new change

click the new change button and specify

the details of the change like the name

of the requester the details for the

change and what type of a changes it you

can define change types in the

application where some of the change

types can be pre-approved by default

standard will be a pre-approved change

let's create a major change to take a

look at the approval process specify the

scheduled time for the change and the

scheduling date you can also specify the

services that are getting affected and

the assets that are involved for this

particular change like for the requests

and the problems you can also attach

files for changes with a size limit of

10 MB per attachment click Save to

create a new change once a change has

been created this is how your change

window will look like you get the

details of the change and on the right

hand side you get the details like the

change ID the approval status the

schedule start and end times you can

make changes to the change details by

simply clicking on the category field or

any field for that matter and selecting

a value once the change has been created

you can assign it to a technician by

clicking the technician drop-down and

choosing the technician name once

assigned the technician can go ahead and

define the planning he can add their

details like the impact plan the rollo

plan the back out of the checklist the

technician can add it as a text or file

in the application once added the

technician will be able to submit a

change request for approval change

requests can be submitted for approval

to the cab members you can create a

number of cabs by going to setup under

customization click on change management

and choose the change Advisory Board

chap click on the new cab button and

specify a name for the cab any user who

has logged into the application can be a

change advisory board member choose the

users and click on save now let's go

back and submit the change for approval

click the add cab member button and

select the cab for which you want to

submit the change choose the user who

needs to approve the change you can

either select one user or multiple users

as well once you have added the cab

member click on send for recommendation

to send the change for approval the user

would have received an email

notification which will also contain the

link to approve the change or he can log

into his portal and click the pending up

rules icon on the top right here he will

find the details of the change and he

can either approve it or reject it while

making a recommendation he can provide

with some comments once the decision has

been recorded the technician will also

get a notification on his mailbox the

technician can come back to the

application and he will find the

recommendation under the approvals tab

based on this recommendation and another

technician who will have the change

manager role can come in and he will be

able to approve or reject a change he

can do that from the right-hand side

panel

as you saw the approved status won't

change if a cab member makes a

recommendation a technician will the

change manager must come in to the

change and approve a change in the

application and once it is approved the

technician can proceed further with the

change like specifying a task adding

work logs and if he has conducted a

review he can either add it as a text or

attach it as a file and also set

reminders notifications and get a

history on what has happened on that

particular change you can also associate

requests and problems to change by

clicking on the attach button set the

relevant incidents and click on the

associate button likewise you can

associate problems as well you also have

notifications for change in the

application go to setup and under

automation click notification rules

click the change tab to enable the

required notifications you can also

generate reports for changes in the

vacation by going to the report module

where you will have predefined reports

and also you can create custom report

for changes in the application you also

have a dashboard which will give you a

quick idea and what is going on in the

change management section in the

application