IT Glue Library – Change Management

Our IT Glue™ Library was conceived as being your go-to source for information about MSP best practices. In our last installment, we covered three different areas relating to Performance Management. In this installment, we will open up the library on the subject of change management, with a specific focus on what works in the MSP business.

Change is an inherent part of managing an IT infrastructure. Imagine that you have an upgrade for a key client, and it’s going to take a couple of hours. There will be pain — you know this — and this pain creates risk. The key to a successful change in the IT infrastructure environment is to minimize disruption to the client, since that minimizes the risk to your business. We’ve all seen this situation, so how do you handle it?

Ask yourself these questions:

• How do you plan to do the job?
• Who’s involved?
• Who do you communicate with?
• What if it goes wrong?
• What are the risks associated with this?

Now ask yourself if the supporting documentation is in place. Does your team actually know what to do? Who’s responsible for what?

A well-designed change management process can give you the answers to these questions. Quality documentation makes it easier to get back up and running if things do go sideways. And when your processes are documented, you can replicate your best practices for IT change.

The focal point of the latest installment of the IT Glue Library will be on IT changes that could potentially impact clients. We outline our best practice process for handling changes both routine and emergency to ensure that both internal and client needs are met.

We frequently add new content to the IT Glue Library, so check back regularly for the latest updates. To access the IT Glue Library, check out Importing the new IT Glue Library (IT Glue sign-in required)