Detect change conflicts

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
  • Detect change conflicts by setting Change Management conflict analysis properties. Use the resulting information to calculate conflicts for change requests and review and modify the change to eliminate conflicts.

    Before you begin

    Role required: admin

    About this task

    By default, not all properties are selected in the Change Management Conflict Analysis Properties page. Modify or customize conflict detection capabilities to meet the needs of your organization.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Change > Administration > Conflict Properties.
    2. In the Change Management Conflict analysis properties page, enter the roles that have access to the conflict detection feature.
    3. Configure the remaining customization properties.
      For more information on conflict detection properties, see Conflict detection properties.
    4. Select Save.

    Conflict detection properties

    Conflict detection includes properties that determine how the conflict detection capability is executed.

    Initiate properties without other settings by setting the value to Yes.
    Note:
    You can determine the mechanism for conflict detection. You can choose between the Flow and Progress Worker options by updating the change.conflict.useprogressworker system property. It is set to false by default.
    Table 1. Change Management conflict analysis properties
    Property name Description
    change.conflict.role A comma-separated list of roles that have access to the conflict detection feature. Roles included here should have access to the underlying change_request record. Roles are entered exactly as they appear in User Administration > Roles. For example, itil.
    change.conflict.blackout Checks whether the change request falls within the blackout window.
    change.conflict.relatedchildblackout Checks whether the change request of any of the child configuration items (CIs) falls within the blackout window.
    change.conflict.relatedparentblackout Checks whether the change request of the parent CI falls within the blackout window.
    change.conflict.currentci Checks whether the change request is already scheduled against the given CI.
    change.conflict.currentwindow Checks whether the change request of the CI falls within the maintenance window.
    change.conflict.relatedchildwindow Checks whether the change request of any of the child CIs falls within the maintenance window.
    change.conflict.relatedparentwindow Checks whether the change request of the parent CI falls within the maintenance window.
    change.conflict.ci_maint_sched Checks whether the change request falls within the scheduled maintenance defined for the CI in the maintenance schedule reference field.
    change.conflict.relatedservices Checks whether a change request that falls within the maintenance or blackout windows affects other related application services, such as the services created that include the CI scheduled for change or any other CI within that service.
    Note:
    This action requires any business services identified to be converted to an application service. For more information, see Convert business services to application services. For information about application services, see Application services Application services.
    change.conflict.assigned_to Checks whether any other change request is assigned to the same change request assigned to a user. For example, if you assign a change request to a user who is already scheduled to implement another change request at that date and time, a conflict error will be displayed.
    change.conflict.mode Determines the conflict mode for a CI. The available values are:
    • Basic: Checks only change requests of the CI against the change request for the CI and all affected CIs.
    • Advanced: Checks both the CI for the current change request and affected CIs against other change requests for the CI and affected CIs.
    change.conflict.refresh.conflicts Refreshes and run conflict detection automatically when any of the following field values are changed:
    • Configuration item
    • Planned start date
    • Planned end date
    change.conflict.populateimpactedcis Automatically includes and lists all the business and application services with related CIs that have conflicts.
    change.conflict.identifymostcritical Identifies the most affected business or application services that have a related conflicting CI.
    change.conflict.next_available.schedule_window Factors from the scheduled planned start date or end date of the change request to find the next available time, enter the number of days.
    • Type: Integer
    • The default value is 90.
    change.conflict.next_available.choice_limit The number of suggestions to calculate and display for the next available time. The greater the value, the more time taken to calculate the next available times to implement the change.
    • Type: Integer
    • The default value is 100.
    change.conflict.log The logging levels for change conflicts: The available options are:
    • Emergency
    • Alert
    • Critical
    • Error
    • Warning
    • Notice
    • Info
    • Debug
    The default level is Notice.
    change.conflict.show_conflict_message Determines whether or when a message is displayed when a scheduling conflict is detected. The available options are:
    • User Preference: The user can select whether to show or hide the conflict message through a UI menu option.
    • Always: Always displays the conflict message.
    • Never: Conflict messages are not displayed.
    By default, User Preference is selected.
    change.conflict.allow_contiguous_changes Handles contiguous change requests with overlapping schedules. This property is active by default.
    change.conflict.consolidated_conflicts Displays only conflicts that result from a combination of the conflict type and schedule or conflict type and conflicting change.

    This property is active by default.

    change.conflict.max_count The maximum number of conflict records that can be generated for each conflict type when conflict detection runs. Create this system property if it is not already present.
    • Type: Integer
    • The minimum value is 1000. If you set a lesser number, 1000 is displayed as the default value.