use case of change management

[vishnuvardh2795]

Hi Team,
Give me one use case of change management with answer for my reference.

Thanks & Regards
Vishnu Reddy

[vaishali231 · Accepted solution]

hey @vishnuvardh2795 

One practical example of Change Management is upgrading production servers to a newer operating system version.

For example, if an organization needs to upgrade Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2022 for end-of-support reasons, this would go through the Normal Change process.

The change would include:

Risk and impact assessment (identify affected applications and users)

Maintenance window planning

Backup and rollback plan preparation

CAB approval

Scheduled implementation

Post-implementation validation

Since the activity impacts customer-facing systems, proper planning and approval help reduce business risk and avoid unexpected downtime.

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Regards
Vaishali Singh

[sumityadav8 · Accepted solution]

Hi @vishnuvardh2795 

Here's a Use Case

Scenario: Emergency Database Patch Implementation

Situation: A critical security vulnerability has been discovered in the production database server that requires an emergency patch. The database supports the company's main e-commerce platform.

Change Request Details:

• Type: Emergency Change
• Priority: Critical
• Requested by: Database Administrator
• Affected Service: E-commerce Platform
• Risk Level: High (if not implemented), Medium (implementation risk)
• Implementation Window: Tonight, 11 PM - 2 AM

Change Management Process Flow:

1. Change Request Submission

The DBA submits an emergency change request in ServiceNow detailing:

• Vulnerability details (CVE reference)
• Impact if not patched (potential data breach)
• Rollback plan
• Testing evidence from dev environment

2. Emergency CAB (Change Advisory Board) Review

Since it's an emergency change, an emergency CAB is convened virtually:

• Security team confirms the critical nature
• Application owner assesses business impact
• Infrastructure team reviews implementation plan
• CAB approves with conditions: full backup, rollback script ready

3. Implementation

• Maintenance window notification sent to stakeholders
• Database backup completed and verified
• Patch applied successfully
• Post-implementation testing performed
• Services restored

4. Post-Implementation Review

• Change marked as "Successful"
• Actual downtime: 45 minutes (within 3-hour window)
• No rollback required
• Documentation updated
• Lessons learned: Need faster emergency CAB assembly process

Benefits Demonstrated:

✓ Controlled process even in emergency situations ✓ Risk assessment and mitigation planning ✓ Clear communication to stakeholders ✓ Audit trail maintained ✓ Security vulnerability addressed promptly

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Key Takeaway: Change Management ensures that even urgent changes follow a structured process to minimize risk while maintaining business continuity.

Regards

Sumit

[sumityadav8]

Hi @vishnuvardh2795 

Moreover to this, we can take one more similar example 

Scenario: Migration of Email System from On-Premise to Cloud (Office 365)

Situation: The organization is migrating 1,200 users from an on-premise Exchange Server to Microsoft Office 365 to reduce infrastructure costs and improve collaboration features.

Change Request Details:

• Change Number: CHG0078901
• Type: Standard Change (Major)
• Category: Infrastructure - Cloud Migration
• Priority: Medium
• Requested by: IT Infrastructure Director
• Affected Service: Corporate Email and Calendar System
• Risk Level: High
• Implementation Window: Friday 6 PM to Sunday 6 PM (Weekend migration)
• Planned Date: 6 weeks from submission

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Change Management Process Flow:

1. Change Request Creation

The IT Project Manager creates the change request in ServiceNow with the following information:

Short Description: Migrate corporate email from Exchange 2016 to Office 365

Description: Complete migration of 1,200 mailboxes from on-premise Exchange Server to Microsoft Office 365 cloud platform. This includes email data, calendars, contacts, and shared mailboxes.

Business Justification:

• Reduce on-premise infrastructure costs by 40%
• Enable modern collaboration features (Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint)
• Improve disaster recovery capabilities
• Support remote workforce better
• Eliminate hardware refresh costs

Configuration Items Affected:

• Exchange Server 2016 (Primary)
• Exchange Server 2016 (Secondary)
• Email Gateway
• Active Directory
• DNS Records
• Firewall Rules
• All user workstations (Outlook configuration)

Implementation Plan Attached: 45-page migration runbook including pre-migration, migration waves, and post-migration activities

Rollback Plan: Ability to revert DNS and continue using on-premise Exchange if critical issues occur

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2. Risk Assessment and Planning

ServiceNow automatically calculates:

• Impact: 1 - High (affects all 1,200 employees)
• Urgency: 3 - Low (planned migration, not urgent)
• Priority: 2 - Medium
• Risk Assessment Score: 85/100 (High Risk)

Key Risks Identified:

• Data loss during migration
• Email service disruption affecting business operations
• User productivity loss due to learning curve
• Integration failures with third-party applications
• Compliance and data security concerns

Mitigation Strategies:

• Pilot migration with 50 users first (2 weeks before main migration)
• Phased approach: Migrate in 4 waves over the weekend
• 24/7 support team during migration weekend
• Comprehensive user training program (4 weeks before migration)
• Full backup of all mailboxes before migration
• Coexistence period: Both systems running for 2 weeks

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3. Approval Workflow

The change goes through multiple approval levels:

Level 1 - Technical Approvals:

• Exchange Administrator: Approved (verified migration tools tested)
• Network Administrator: Approved (bandwidth sufficient for migration)
• Security Officer: Approved (security assessment completed)
• Active Directory Administrator: Approved (synchronization plan reviewed)

Level 2 - Business Approvals:

• HR Director: Approved (concerned about payroll week, requested avoiding month-end)
• Finance Director: Approved (budget allocated)
• Legal Counsel: Approved (data residency and compliance verified)
• Operations Director: Approved with condition (requested phased approach)

Level 3 - Executive Approval:

• CIO: Approved (strategic alignment confirmed)

Level 4 - CAB Approval:

• CAB Meeting held on: Thursday, 10 AM
• Members present: 12 (including business and IT stakeholders)
• Discussion points: Migration timeline, user impact, training readiness, rollback scenarios
• CAB Decision: APPROVED with mandatory conditions
• Conditions: Complete pilot successfully, provide daily status updates, extend support hours

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4. Pre-Implementation Activities

Week 1-2: Pilot Migration

• 50 users from IT department migrated successfully
• Issues identified: Outlook profile configuration script needed refinement
• Pilot users feedback: Positive, requested more training on Teams

Week 3-4: User Training

• 15 training sessions conducted (80 users per session)
• Training completion rate: 96%
• Training materials uploaded to ServiceNow Knowledge Base
• Video tutorials created and shared via company portal

Week 5: Final Preparations

• All mailbox permissions documented
• Public folder migration plan finalized
• Distribution lists inventory completed
• Mobile device management policies configured
• Help desk team trained on Office 365 support

Week 6: Pre-Migration Tasks

• Complete backup of all Exchange databases (completed Thursday)
• DNS TTL reduced to 5 minutes (completed Wednesday)
• Migration tools final testing (completed Friday morning)
• Communication sent to all users (48 hours before migration)

Change Tasks Created (28 tasks total):

• CHG0078901-001: Backup all Exchange databases - Assigned to: Backup Team
• CHG0078901-002: Prepare Office 365 tenant - Assigned to: Cloud Team
• CHG0078901-003: Configure directory synchronization - Assigned to: AD Team
• CHG0078901-004: Migrate Wave 1 users (300 users) - Assigned to: Migration Team
• CHG0078901-005: Migrate Wave 2 users (300 users) - Assigned to: Migration Team
• And 23 more tasks...

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5. Implementation Phase

Friday 6:00 PM - Migration Kickoff

• Change status moved to "Implement"
• Migration war room established
• All technical teams on standby
• Work Notes: "Migration commenced, all systems ready, backups verified"

Friday 6:30 PM - Wave 1 Migration Starts (300 users - Sales Department)

• Mailbox migration initiated
• Work Notes: "Wave 1 in progress, estimated completion 11 PM"

Friday 11:15 PM - Wave 1 Complete

• All 300 mailboxes migrated successfully
• Testing performed by 5 sales users (volunteer testers)
• Work Notes: "Wave 1 successful, 298 mailboxes migrated perfectly, 2 required manual intervention due to corrupted items, now resolved"

Saturday 12:00 AM - Wave 2 Migration Starts (300 users - Marketing & HR)

• Work Notes: "Wave 2 initiated"

Saturday 6:30 AM - Wave 2 Complete

• Work Notes: "Wave 2 completed successfully, all mailboxes accessible"

Saturday 8:00 AM - Wave 3 Migration Starts (300 users - Finance & Operations)

• Work Notes: "Wave 3 in progress"

Saturday 2:30 PM - Wave 3 Complete

• Work Notes: "Wave 3 successful, Finance Director confirmed access"

Saturday 4:00 PM - Wave 4 Migration Starts (300 users - IT & Remaining Departments)

• Work Notes: "Final wave initiated"

Saturday 10:45 PM - Wave 4 Complete

• Work Notes: "All 1,200 users migrated successfully"

Sunday 12:00 AM - Post-Migration Validation

• Email flow testing (internal and external)
• Calendar sharing verification
• Mobile device connectivity testing
• Public folders accessibility check
• Work Notes: "All validation tests passed"

Sunday 2:00 AM - DNS Cutover

• MX records updated to point to Office 365
• Mail routing switched to cloud
• Work Notes: "DNS changes propagated, email flowing through Office 365"

Sunday 6:00 AM - Migration Complete

• All systems verified and operational
• Monitoring dashboards showing healthy status
• Work Notes: "Migration completed successfully, moving to hypercare mode"

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6. Post-Implementation Support

Sunday - Monday (Hypercare Period):

• Extended help desk hours (24/7 support)
• Dedicated Office 365 support team available
• Issues logged and resolved:
  • 23 Outlook profile configuration issues (resolved via automated script)
  • 12 mobile device setup requests (guided users through setup)
  • 8 shared mailbox permission issues (permissions reapplied)
  • 5 calendar sharing problems (resolved by recreating sharing)

Week 1 Post-Migration:

• Daily status reports sent to stakeholders
• User satisfaction survey sent to all 1,200 users
• Survey response rate: 67%
• Satisfaction score: 8.2/10
• Total incidents logged: 47 (all resolved within SLA)

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7. Change Review and Closure

Post-Implementation Review Conducted (2 weeks after migration):

Actual Timeline:

• Planned Start: Friday 6 PM
• Planned End: Sunday 6 PM
• Actual Start: Friday 6 PM
• Actual End: Sunday 6 AM (12 hours ahead of schedule)
• Total Duration: 36 hours (vs 48 hours planned)

Success Metrics:

• Mailboxes migrated successfully: 1,200/1,200 (100%)
• Data loss: 0%
• Unplanned downtime: 0 minutes
• Rollback required: No
• User training completion: 96%
• Post-migration incidents: 47 (all P3, resolved)
• Help desk ticket volume: Increased 30% week 1, normalized by week 3

Business Benefits Achieved:

• Infrastructure cost reduction: 42% annually
• Mailbox storage increased from 5GB to 50GB per user
• Teams adoption: 450 users actively using within first week
• OneDrive deployment: 890 users migrated documents
• Collaboration improved: 35% increase in file sharing

What Went Well:

• Phased migration approach reduced risk effectively
• Pilot migration identified and resolved issues early
• User training prepared staff adequately
• Communication plan kept everyone informed
• Technical team coordination was excellent
• Completed ahead of schedule

What Could Be Improved:

• Outlook profile configuration script should be refined further
• Mobile device setup instructions need simplification
• Shared mailbox permissions migration needs better automation
• Consider extending pilot phase by one more week
• Need clearer communication about calendar sharing changes

Lessons Learned:

• Knowledge article created: KB0078901 "Office 365 Migration Best Practices"
• Migration runbook updated with lessons learned
• Automated scripts added to ServiceNow for future migrations
• Standard change template created for cloud migrations
• User training materials added to corporate learning portal

Change Status: CLOSED - SUCCESSFUL

Close Code: Successful

Close Notes: Office 365 migration completed successfully for all 1,200 users with zero data loss and minimal user impact. Migration finished 12 hours ahead of schedule. All services operational and performing well. User feedback positive. Infrastructure cost savings of 42% achieved. Change can be closed.

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Key Takeaways:

This change management example demonstrates:

1. Comprehensive Planning: 6-week preparation with pilot testing
2. Risk Mitigation: Phased approach, backups, rollback plans
3. Stakeholder Management: Multiple approval levels, clear communication
4. User Enablement: Training program prepared users for change
5. Execution Excellence: Completed ahead of schedule with zero data loss
6. Continuous Improvement: Lessons learned documented for future changes
7. Business Value: Achieved cost savings and improved collaboration

The ServiceNow Change Management module provided end-to-end tracking, automated workflows, approval routing, task management, and complete audit trail for this complex infrastructure migration.

Regards

Sumit

[SohamTipnis]

Hi @vishnuvardh2795 ,

You can refer to my article; you will find all the requirements related to change management:

https://www.servicenow.com/community/itsm-forum/change-management-in-servicenow-everything-you-need-...

This will help you for your future reference.

If you find my answer useful, please mark it as Helpful and Correct ‌😊

Regards,
Soham Tipnis
ServiceNow Developer ||  Technical Consultant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sohamtipnis10