Chapter 8

Understanding Service Transition and the Change Management Processes

THE FOLLOWING ITIL FOUNDATION EXAM TOPICS ARE COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER:

• 2-7. Account for the purpose, objectives and scope of service transition
• 2-8. Briefly explain what value service transition provides to the business
• Unit 3: Generic concepts and definitions:
  • 3-20. Change
  • 3-21. Change types (standard, emergency and normal)
  • 3-37. Change proposals
• 5-5. Explain the purpose, objectives, scope, basic concepts, process activities and interfaces for:
  • 5-51 Change management
    • Types of change request
    • Change models
    • Remediation planning
    • Change advisory board / emergency change advisory board
    • Lifecycle of a normal change

This chapter explores the service transition stage of the life cycle, and looks in detail at the change management process. In the next chapter, we will consider the other service transition processes. The service transition lifecycle stage is concerned with the delivery of a new or changed service into the live operational environment.

The service transition processes are used throughout the life cycle to provide control over the live operational environment. Change management is used both to deliver new services and to modify them later and so provides control over the infrastructure. The service transition process of service asset and configuration management provides a source of information which is used in transition, and the rest of the life cycle. Knowledge management is particularly important during transition, but also takes place throughout the life cycle.