Change Manager

[Clippy]

And neither do you, my good man...

You'd make a better Release Manager than a Change Manager* if you don't know the difference between a Change Manager and a Project Manager.

They have overlapping skills and one can do the job of the other if they are trained, but they are not simply interchangeable.

*Service Management Change Manager is what I'm talking about and I think that's what the agents are talking about as well. The OP is probably thinking of a Business Change Manager - but the above statement still applies...

This is my understanding as well.

[original PM]

hmmmm very interesting

Is a change manager somebody bought in to review process and suggest what changes need to be made?

Or

Are they bought in to manage the impact of change within the business.

[Clippy]

hmmmm very interesting

Is a change manager somebody bought in to review process and suggest what changes need to be made?

Or

Are they bought in to manage the impact of change within the business.

Wiki linky

[George Parr]

There can be a conflict of interest if a PM takes on an ITSM CM role. The former has an interest in deploying something to (usually tight) schedule while the CM is dutybound to make sure that all testing, backout plans etc. are in place before letting it anywhere near production systems.

[original PM]

ahh right

if it is to do with ITSM it is bound to be a load of overblown, beurocratic bull rocks then.

[George Parr]

ahh right

if it is to do with ITSM it is bound to be a load of overblown, beurocratic bull rocks then.

Yeah, best just deploy any old tulip. Why even bother testing, surely the customers will do that for free.

[George Parr]

ahh right

if it is to do with ITSM it is bound to be a load of overblown, beurocratic bull rocks then.

Seriously, it can be as lean or as bloated as the client wants it to be.

[original PM]

there is release management which means you have control of the system and it does not go live until relevant agreed testing and training has been done - and to be honest this for me is part of a PM's role - to ensure that the full project lifecycle has been completed.

and then there is ITSM change management.

Company I am currently at follow some form of ITSM change mangement process

I will get 5 or 6 e-mails a day asking for change approval - and I can see that half the people on each e-mail are not in a position to approve or stop the change (including me) because they do not have the relevant knowledge of that particular change.

ITSM change managers seem to think that if they have a list of people whio have agreed the change can go ahead then all will be okay -- this is not the same as having experts who actually understand the change being made and the possible impacts.

Ticking Boxes is not the same as Managing Change

[George Parr]

there is release management which means you have control of the system and it does not go live until relevant agreed testing and training has been done - and to be honest this for me is part of a PM's role - to ensure that the full project lifecycle has been completed.

and then there is ITSM change management.

Company I am currently at follow some form of ITSM change mangement process

I will get 5 or 6 e-mails a day asking for change approval - and I can see that half the people on each e-mail are not in a position to approve or stop the change (including me) because they do not have the relevant knowledge of that particular change.

ITSM change managers seem to think that if they have a list of people whio have agreed the change can go ahead then all will be okay -- this is not the same as having experts who actually understand the change being made and the possible impacts.

Ticking Boxes is not the same as Managing Change

Get the peeps who understand the change and its impacts to be part of the authorisation process, that's how it should be set up

[original PM]

Get the peeps who understand the change and its impacts to be part of the authorisation process, that's how it should be set up

That I completely agree with - problem is (in my humble and naive opinion) it so often just becomes a paperwork exercise - a process which adds cost but no value.