Change management: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:46, 18 November 2024

System Fundamentals^[1]

Change management is the process of identifying, documenting, and approving or rejecting changes to a system in production. It is an important aspect of the development and maintenance of a system because it helps ensure that changes to the system are implemented in a controlled and coordinated manner.

There are several reasons why change management is important:

Change management helps prevent unexpected or unintended consequences of changes to a system. By carefully reviewing and approving changes, the risk of introducing errors or other problems into the system can be reduced.
Change management helps maintain the integrity and stability of a system. By controlling the introduction of changes, the system can be kept in a known and stable state, which is important for maintaining the reliability and performance of the system.
Change management helps ensure that changes to a system are properly documented and communicated to all relevant parties. This can help ensure that everyone is aware of the changes and how they may affect the system.
Change management helps facilitate the orderly and efficient implementation of changes to a system. By following a structured process for reviewing and approving changes, the development and deployment of changes can be streamlined and made more efficient.

Real-world practical advice[edit]

"Hey can you change this one little thing for me?". This is a very common request. Here's the thing: users think a request is minimal, "no big deal" or "just a little thing". But because end-users don't have a full picture of a system, they do not have information to evaluate if a change is minimal or if it is more involved.

When a user asks you to change something, you should smile and take a deep breath. You should then spend time carefully understanding exactly what functionality the user wants and how you can best plan and implement the functionality.

In larger organizations, there is a well-established Request For Change process which uses a change request form^[2]. Always think before you make a change.

Standards[edit]

Describe the need for change management.

References[edit]

[1] ttp://www.flaticon.com/

[2] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_request

[1]

[2]

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 [[file:system_fund.png|right|frame|System Fundamentals<ref>http://www.flaticon.com/</ref>]]
-How are systems planned? Are systems just thrown into the users face without any planning? Who should we talk with as we plan a new system?  '''What questions should we ask users, IT administrators, and finance stakeholders as we plan a new system?'''
+Change management is the process of identifying, documenting, and approving or rejecting changes to a system in production. It is an important aspect of the development and maintenance of a system because it helps ensure that changes to the system are implemented in a controlled and coordinated manner.
-=== SL version ===
-=== HL version ===
+There are several reasons why change management is important:
+# Change management helps prevent unexpected or unintended consequences of changes to a system. By carefully reviewing and approving changes, the risk of introducing errors or other problems into the system can be reduced.
+# Change management helps maintain the integrity and stability of a system. By controlling the introduction of changes, the system can be kept in a known and stable state, which is important for maintaining the reliability and performance of the system.
+# Change management helps ensure that changes to a system are properly documented and communicated to all relevant parties. This can help ensure that everyone is aware of the changes and how they may affect the system.
+# Change management helps facilitate the orderly and efficient implementation of changes to a system. By following a structured process for reviewing and approving changes, the development and deployment of changes can be streamlined and made more efficient.
 == Real-world practical advice ==
-You should always be nervous when there is more than one person in charge of a project. We call this double-headed management, and it is very dangerous because you may get two very different specifications about the system. It is always a good idea to have '''only one''' single person who describes what a system should do. In project management, we call this a "senior customer" or a "senior user".
+"Hey can you change this one little thing for me?". This is a very common request. Here's the thing: users think a request is minimal, "no big deal" or "just a little thing". But because end-users don't have a full picture of a system, they do not have information to evaluate if a change is minimal or if it is more involved.
-== Do you understand this material? ==
-Imagine you are the chief information officer for a company. The company wants to plan a system that keeps track of employees, their birthdays, salaries, and date the employee was hired. What are ten questions you would ask as you plan this system? It may be helpful to review [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_analysis this wikipedia entry which discusses context analysis].
-Please consider the following examples, and answer the questions:
-=== Example 1 ===
-This is a simple example:
-A small business which wants to plan a new system. The new system is a computer kiosk inside the store which allows customers to sign up for a email newsletter. If a custmer signs up for a newsletter inside the store, they will get a 10% discount on their first purchase at the store. The owner hopes this 10% discount will be an incentive for customers to sign up for the email newsletter.  The business will then regularly  email the customers special offers and savings. The business owner expects to benefit from this system by having increased sales. The customers expect to benefit from this system by having access to special offers, to save money, and to see what is new and trendy at their store.
-Question 1: List the stakeholders we should consult when planning this new system. Be careful, as there is a hidden stakeholder group that is not mentioned here!
-Question 2: Infer from the example what questions should be asked of each stakeholder group.
-== Do you have an advanced understanding of this material? ==
-=== Example 2 ===
+When a user asks you to change something, you should smile and take a deep breath. You should then spend time carefully understanding '''exactly''' what functionality the user wants and how you can best plan and implement the functionality.
-This is a complex example:
+In larger organizations, there is a well-established Request For Change process which uses a change request form<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_request</ref>. Always think before you make a change.
-A school of 900 students wants to plan a new system. The school hopes the new system is a secure web-based application which manages attendance data. The school administrators want to carefully track attendance for the students so it can identify when students have been absent for a customizable threshold. For example, the school might set a threshold of 5 absences within 30 days, which then automatically notifies the student, parent, and teacher there is a problem with attendance. The threshold might be 3 times within 10 days, or something like that. The system should keep track of attendance and tardies. The system should have customizable attendance codes. For example, "abscence for school trip", "excused abscence", "medical abscence" are all allowed abscence codes.
-School administrators expect to benefit by having data about attendance so they can support students and parents to be in school. School administrators also expect to benefit by giving parents and students information about attendance (so parents can support their children to be in school). Finally, school adinistrators expect to benefit by using attendance data to apply for government funding (as they can prove how many students were in class on a specific day).
-Parents expect to benefit by knowing when their children are in school or miss school. This way parents can support their children to be in school. Being in school is a '''shared value''' that the school hopes the parents share.
-Students expect to benefit by understanding how many days of school of they have missed. The school expects students to have a strong "ownership of learning" and manage their attendance.
-Question 1: List the stakeholders we should consult when planning this new system. Be careful, as there is a hidden stakeholder group that is not mentioned here!
-Question 2: Infer from the example what questions should be asked of each stakeholder group.
 == Standards ==
-* Identify the context for which a new system is planned. [[Level 2]]
+* Describe the need for change management.
-* Describe the need for change management. [[Level 2]]
 == References ==