Best Practice for state transition in Change Request

[Udhayakumar_30]

Is it considered best practice to cancel a Change in the Assess state through a Flow when the "Change is waiting for approval"?

1.In Assess State -we don't have cancel option and it says " Change is waiting for Approval". 

2.I have one integration requirement- where in "Assess" and "Schedule" state and when the comment contains "Not required",through flow it must change to "Assess". It is working as expected for "Schedule" not for "Assess" 

3.Assess blocking OOTB Business rule is Change Model: Check State Transition. 

Please help me on this !

[Nikhil Bajaj9]

Hi @Udhayakumar_30 ,

Best practices for state transitions in a Change Request process focus on clarity, control, and efficiency.

• Define Clear States and Transitions:

• Establish a well-defined set of states (e.g., Draft, Submitted, Approved, Scheduled, Implemented, Closed, Cancelled).

• Map out all valid transitions between these states, ensuring a logical flow.

• Specify the conditions or events that trigger each transition (e.g., "Approval Granted" moves from "Submitted" to "Approved").

• Implement Robust Approval Workflows:

• Integrate approval steps at critical transition points (e.g., before moving from "Submitted" to "Approved" or "Scheduled").

• Define who needs to approve at each stage and the criteria for approval.

• Automate approval notifications and reminders to streamline the process.

• Automate Where Possible:

• Automate status transitions based on predefined conditions (e.g., auto-approve standard changes, or automatically move to "Scheduled" once all approvals are obtained).

• Automate notifications to relevant stakeholders upon state changes.

• Enforce Preconditions and Postconditions:

• Ensure that a change request meets specific criteria before transitioning to a new state (e.g., all required fields are completed before moving to "Submitted").

• Define actions or updates that occur automatically after a state transition (e.g., update related tasks or records when a change is "Implemented").

• Provide Transparency and Visibility:

• Maintain a clear audit trail of all state transitions, including who initiated the change and when.

• Make the current state and history of a change request easily accessible to all authorized stakeholders.

• Handle Exceptions and Rejections Gracefully:

• Define specific states and transitions for handling rejections or cancellations, including clear reasons for the rejection.

• Provide mechanisms for re-submission or re-evaluation after a rejection.

• Regularly Review and Refine:

• Periodically review the change request state model and transition rules to ensure they remain efficient and aligned with organizational needs.

• Gather feedback from users to identify areas for improvement.

If my answer helepd you, please mark it- solution accepted. 

Regards,

Nikhil Bajaj

[Ankur Bawiskar · Accepted solution]

@Udhayakumar_30 

My thoughts:

-> Avoid bypassing OOTB process unless you have a strong justification

-> automating cancellation while waiting for approval could violate compliance or  change management controls

-> modify state model only if you have a business justification

Workaround for integration

-> Consider pushing a “reject” workflow event via integration in Assess, rather than a cancel, to follow standard process.

If my response helped please mark it correct and close the thread so that it benefits future readers.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Udhayakumar_30 

I worked as a Change Manager and also served as a BPC for change management. I’m happy to share my experience in this area

Is it considered best practice to cancel a Change in the Assess state through a Flow when the "Change is waiting for approval"?

1.In Assess State -we don't have cancel option and it says " Change is waiting for Approval". 

Atul: Out-of-the-box, there is a ‘Cancel Change’ UI action. Did you hide it? Check the condition, which can check the change date. You should have the ability to cancel a change in the Assess phase, as sometimes requirements change and the change needs to be canceled. Yes, this is considered a best practice, because for any number of reasons, a change may need to be canceled or is no longer required to proceed. It’s better to cancel it in the Assessment phase.

2.I have one integration requirement- where in "Assess" and "Schedule" state and when the comment contains "Not required",through flow it must change to "Assess". It is working as expected for "Schedule" not for "Assess" 

Atul: “What is this integration all about? Because out-of-the-box, there is no way to move a change directly from Schedule to Assess. OOTB, when a change needs to go to Assess, it must first go to the New state and then to Assess. Moving directly from Schedule to Assess is not a good practice, not recommended, and would violate the standard process.

3.Assess blocking OOTB Business rule is Change Model: Check State Transition. 

Atul: As per my previous comment, moving a change directly from Schedule to Assess is not possible. It must first go to the New state and then proceed to Assess

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Udhayakumar_30 

did my response work for you?