---
sourceDocument: Zurich IT Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/it-service-management

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich IT Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itsm

bundleId :

    - itsm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Change types

# Change types {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Zurich  
Updated September 10, 2026  
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## Summary of Change types

Change Management in ServiceNow supports three ITIL-defined service change types: standard, emergency, and normal.
Each change type dictates the state model and process flow that must be followed during change implementation, ensuring appropriate risk management and authorization.
Show full answer Show less  

## Change Types and Their Characteristics

* **Standard Change:** Pre-authorized, low-risk, and routine changes with repeatable steps and a proven success history. They bypass group, peer, and Change Advisory Board (CAB) approvals, following a streamlined process. Standard changes are often cataloged as templates for efficient access and request, examples include TLS certificate renewals or password policy updates.
* **Emergency Change:** High-priority changes implemented immediately to resolve major incidents or apply security patches. These changes bypass group and peer reviews and proceed directly to CAB for approval. Emergency changes address urgent situations like service-impacting failures or imminent threats. Because of their urgency, they do not follow the full normal change lifecycle. Unplanned Configuration Item (CI) changes during emergencies create unauthorized change requests that require approval.
* **Normal Change:** All other changes that are neither standard nor emergency. Normal changes require full assessment, including peer or technical approval and CAB authorization before implementation. They follow a prescriptive process with multiple approval levels to minimize service disruptions and are typically scheduled outside blackout windows or within maintenance windows.

## Choosing the Appropriate Change Type

* Use **Normal Change** for scheduled upgrades that require peer review and CAB approval.
* Use **Standard Change** for pre-approved, routine patches or updates with documented procedures.
* Use **Emergency Change** for immediate actions to fix major incidents or security vulnerabilities.

## Key Comparison

| Change Type | Pre-approved | Required CAB Approval | Typical Use |
|-|-|-|-|
| Standard | Yes | No | Low-risk, repeatable changes with proven success |
| Normal | No | Yes | All other changes requiring full assessment and approval |
| Emergency | No | Yes | High-priority changes to resolve major incidents or security issues |

Change Management supports the
three types of service changes ITIL describes --- standard, emergency, and normal. The change type
determines which state model is invoked and the change process that must be followed.

<br />

Standard change

:   A standard change is a pre-authorized change that is low risk, relatively common and follows a specified procedure or work instruction.

    A standard change is one that is frequently implemented, has repeatable implementation steps, and has a proven history of success. As Standard changes are pre-approved, they follow a stream lined process in which group
    level or peer approval and CAB authorization steps are not required.

    Approved standard change requests can be predefined in a catalog of templates to make accessing and requesting a standard change more efficient. This ability also enables the Change Management team to control the changes that are authorized as standard.

    For example, a routine TLS certificate renewal or a documented password policy update is typically handled as a standard change.

Emergency change

:   A high-priority change implemented immediately to resolve a major incident or apply a security patch. It bypasses group and peer review and goes directly to the Authorization state for CAB approval.

    Emergency changes cover the following types of emergencies:

    * Fix on fail or retroactive situations where the impact to service has already been experienced.
    * Fail or fail situations where the impact to service is imminent if action is not taken.

    {#change-types__ul_qqc_dsk_wy}These changes do not follow the complete life cycle of a normal change due to the speed with which they must be authorized. Therefore, they progress directly to the Authorize state for approval from the CAB Approval group.

    During an emergency change, there are chances that an unplanned CI change activity occurs. During such a case, an unauthorized change request is created and sent for approvals. For more
    information, see [Unauthorized change request](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/cg~8UfdaP9LIhhcuI6pynQ "Understand how an unauthorized change activity on a configuration item (CI) is captured and managed, so that you can review and take timely action on this change.").

Normal change

:   Any service change that is not a standard change or an emergency change.

    A normal change differs from a standard change in its approval path. Unlike a standard change, which is pre-approved and bypasses Change Advisory Board (CAB) authorization, a normal change requires assessment, peer or
    technical approval, and CAB authorization before implementation.

    Normal change requests follow a prescriptive process which requires two levels of approval before being implemented, reviewed, and closed. These changes require a full range of assessments and authorizations such as peer
    or technical approval, change management, and Change Advisory Board (CAB) authorization. This is to confirm completeness, accuracy, and the least possible disruption to service. These changes are most often scheduled
outside of defined change blackout windows or during defined maintenance windows. The normal type is used to implement beneficial change for any change to a service that is not a standard or emergency change.  
The following table summarizes about the three change types:{#change-types__table_change_type_compare__entry__4}

| Change type | Pre-approved | Required CAB | Typical use |
|-|-|-|-|
| Standard | Yes | No | Low-risk, repeatable changes with a proven history of success. |
| Normal | No | Yes | Any change that isn't standard or emergency and requires full assessment. |
| Emergency | No | Yes | High-priority changes that resolve a major incident or apply a security patch. |
[Table 1. Change type comparison]

{#change-types__table_change_type_compare}  

## Choosing a change type {#change-types__example_choose_change_type}

Use the following scenarios as a guide:

* A scheduled upgrade of a production database server that needs peer reviews and CAB authorization is a normal change.
* Applying a documented, pre-approved patch from a tested standard change template is a standard change.
* Deploying an out-of-band security patch to stop an active exploit is an emergency change.
{#change-types__ul_change_type_scenarios}
**Related tasks**   

* [Add a new change request type](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WdG5BsB5CB4mZ6SbKzEGNw "You can add a new change type to your change process. There are several processes involved with adding a change type. These processes include managing script includes and workflows.")