BCS Specialist: Change Management

ITIL® is recognised internationally as the best practice approach to IT Service Management (ITSM) aligning the provision of IT Services with the needs of the business. It is used globally by thousands of organisations throughout the private and public sectors to improve the way in which they implement and manage IT Services.

The ITIL qualification scheme also recognises other certifications which add value to ITIL best practices and its own certification portfolio. These certifications are recognised under the ITIL Complementary Qualifications Scheme. Such certifications are given a credit value which successful delegates can add to the credits gained from other ITIL certifications and use towards their ITIL Expert Level qualification.

The BCS Specialist Certificate in Change Management provides a comprehensive understanding of the principles required and practical experience of developing, maintaining, operating and improving change management processes.

Audience: Who is the course for?

• Project managers, business managers & business process owners
• Those who require a working knowledge of the industry best practice used in Change Management and how it may be used to improve the quality of ITSM within an organisation
• Those who are required to deliver or improve Change Management within an on-going Service Improvement Programme

Course duration:

This is a three day course. The exam is taken on the third day.

Benefits to the individual:

• Recognised professional qualification
• Understand the application of BCS Change Management principles that contribute to industry best practice
• Understand the BCS Change Management processes and how they may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organisation.
• Gain credits towards the ITIL Expert certification in IT Service Management

Benefits to the business:

• Practical analysis of change records and reports allows steps to be taken to reduce the number of failed changes problems which in turn leads to greater efficiencies and less downtime
• Staff are better equipped to co-ordinate, schedule, target and focus resources on managing changes, based on priorities
• Better process management leads to increased efficiency and reduced costs

Prerequisites:

Delegates must hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate and should also have:

• At least one year's experience in an IT Service Management environment
• Responsibility for the delivery and maintenance of a specific service management process
• Several years' experience in a specialist service management area

Course outline:

The objectives of this course are:

• To enable delegates to apply industry best practices in their working environment
• For delegates to understand the many areas that change management must have a close working relationship with, including the overseeing and managing of the building, testing and implementation of authorised changes
• To enable delegates to develop and improve the customer and business focus of Change Management
• To give an understand the interdependencies between Change Management and other IT areas and processes
• To enable delegates to assist with the planning and implementation of Change Management

The course is conducted through interactive group study using practical examples and activities. Delegates will also sit a mock exam.

Over the three day course, the following topics are covered:

Introduction:

• Overview of course structure, objectives, exam format and agenda
• History of ITSM, introduction to ITSM in general, including standards, good practice and frameworks such as ISO/IEC 20000, ITIL and COBIT® and the differences in approach
• The goals and objectives of the Change Management process and an outline of the related functions, roles and processes

Change Management processes. Change Management concepts and principles:

• The responsibilities and objectives in support of generic Change Management
• Understanding the impact of changes
• Understanding the different types of changes
• The resourcing considerations, staffing levels, rotas, shifts, skills and knowledge levels
• Change scheduling

The how - ITIL and its application to Change Management:

• The structure intent and use of ITIL
• The key Change Management guidelines within ITIL
• Interfaces with and dependencies on other areas of ITIL and ISO/IEC 20000 especially , Service Desk and Incident, Problem, Release, Service Level, Financial and Service Asset and Configuration Management

A generic Change Management process, including:

• Change decision making and change authorisation including Change Advisory Board
• Impact assessment
• The lifecycle of a change
• Types of change
• Change models and standard changes
• Back out plans
• Communication
• Management reporting

The what – the requirements of the ISO/IEC 20000 standard:

• The structure, intent and use of ISO/IEC 20000
• The key Change Management requirements of Part 1 of the standard
• Supporting material from Parts 2 and 3 of the standard
• The overall Service Management System
• Interfaces with and dependencies on other areas of the standard

Tools, methods and techniques:

• Awareness, knowledge and use of Change Management support tools and techniques
• Typical Change Management toolsets
• Generic requirements for Change Management toolsets
• Integration with other areas, processes and functions
• The benefits of automation

Change Management roles and responsibilities – SFIA and ITIL. Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) and its use with defining Change Management roles:

• Overview of the structure and content of the SFIA framework
• Change Management roles, levels of responsibility and work activities

ITIL and its use in defining Change Management roles:

• Change Management roles and responsibilities

Control, measurement and reporting activities. COBIT® and its application to Change Management:

• The structure intent and use of COBIT®
• The key Change Management requirements of COBIT®
• Interfaces with and dependencies on other areas of COBIT®

The preparation of Change Management reports for dissemination:

• The purpose of change reports, management reports and reporting. What to report on and what not to?
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Critical Success Factors (CSFs)
• How statistics can be used and abused
• Common categories of classification and analysis

Analysis of changes, failed changes, delayed changes statistics and trends. The analysis of changes, statistics and reports, identifying trends:

• Identification of areas of weakness and proposing resolutions for the proactive prevention of possible incidents and further failed changes

Interfaces and dependencies:

• The appreciation and understanding of the interfaces and dependencies Change Management has with other areas, functions and processes, including.
  • Service Desk and Incident Management
  • Release Management
  • Service Level Management
  • Financial Management
  • Problem Management
  • Service Asset and Configuration Management
  • Request Fulfilment
  • Capacity, Availability and Continuity principles
  • IT Security Management
  • Projects and major changes
  • Supplier Management
  • Technical, Operations and Applications Management teams

Planning, improvement and implementation:

• The planning, implementation and continual improvement (Plan/Do/Check/Act ) of Change Management

Exam details:

The 90 minute exam consists of 25 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on a number of scenarios and the pass mark is 16/25 or 64%. This is a closed book exam i.e. entrants may not refer to any course materials or their own notes.

BCS Courses

BCS Change Management Course Description

ITIL Official Glossary