Change types

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Change types

    ServiceNow Change Management supports three ITIL-defined service change types: standard, emergency, and normal. Each type determines the state model used and the specific change process to follow. Understanding these types helps you apply appropriate controls, approvals, and workflows to manage service changes efficiently and minimize service disruption.

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    Change Types

    • Standard Change:

      Pre-authorized, low-risk, and common changes with repeatable, tested procedures. These changes do not require group, peer, or CAB approval, enabling a streamlined process. Standard changes can be predefined as templates in a catalog to facilitate easy and controlled requests.

    • Emergency Change:

      High-priority changes implemented immediately to resolve major incidents or apply critical security patches. They bypass group and peer reviews, moving directly to CAB approval. Emergency changes may not follow the full lifecycle due to urgency. Any unplanned configuration item (CI) changes during emergency changes generate unauthorized change requests for approval.

    • Normal Change:

      All other changes that are not standard or emergency. These require full assessment, peer or technical approval, and CAB authorization before implementation. Normal changes follow a detailed lifecycle with two levels of approval, are scheduled to minimize impact, and ensure thorough review to reduce service disruption.

    Key Outcomes

    • Efficient handling of routine, low-risk changes via standard changes with minimal approval overhead.
    • Rapid response to urgent issues through emergency changes, ensuring critical incidents or vulnerabilities are addressed promptly.
    • Comprehensive control and risk mitigation for complex or impactful changes using the normal change process with full assessments and approvals.
    • Improved governance and auditability by aligning change processes with ITIL best practices and defined approval paths.

    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.

    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.

    Emergency change

    A change that must be implemented as soon as possible, for example to resolve a major incident or implement a security patch. This change is of such a high priority that it bypasses group and peer review and approval and goes straight to the Authorization state for approval by the CAB approval group.

    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.
    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.

    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, to ensure 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:
    Table 1. Change type comparison
    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.