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The Standard Change Catalog and Templates

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • What a standard change template is
  • Where the standard change catalog is
  • What makes a change safe to be standard
  • How to raise a standard change

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Change Models. You learned what a change model is, and how SNWR made a Firewall rule change model.

1 “Same change, same forms, every week”

Arjun’s team restarts the mail service about once a week.

  • Each time, they fill in a full normal change.
  • Each time, Beth approves the same thing.
  • It takes two days for a five-minute job.

🎯 The problem: Treating safe, repeated changes like risky ones wastes everyone’s time.

👉 The fix: make it a standard change: pre-approved, filled in from a template, raised in a minute.

2 Templates and the catalog

Key term: Standard change template

A pre-filled, pre-approved change for a safe, repeated job.

Key term: Standard change catalog

The place where agents pick a template to raise a standard change.

The Restart SNWR mail service template in the standard change catalog. Category: Messaging. Filled in: short description, implementation plan, backout plan and test plan. Configuration item: snwr-mail-01. Risk: Low. Approval: pre-approved, no CAB. Notes: 1 Pick the template from the catalog. 2 Plans are already written and approved. 3 The change goes straight to Scheduled.
Figure 1. Pick it, check it, schedule it.

3 Is it safe to be standard?

Question Restart mail service
Done many times before? Yes, weekly
Low risk, known steps? Yes
Easy to undo? Yes, start it on snwr-mail-02
Failed before? Never

💡 Good to know: If a standard change ever causes an incident, Mei reviews the template. It may need to go back to normal.

4 Let’s try it: raise a standard change

  1. Go to All › Change › Create New and open the standard change catalog (or search “Standard Change Catalog”).
  2. Browse the baseline templates. Open one and look at its pre-filled fields.
  3. Raise a standard change from a template. Check which fields are already filled in.
  4. Look at the new change’s state and approval. Did it skip Authorize?
  5. Write down which SNWR job you’d propose as the first template. You’ll propose it in the next lesson.

5 Quick recap

  • A standard change template is pre-filled and pre-approved
  • Agents raise standard changes from the standard change catalog
  • Only safe, repeated, easy-to-undo jobs become standard
  • Standard changes skip approval and CAB
  • Review the template if one ever causes an incident

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 Why make the mail restart standard? Show answer

It’s safe, repeated and easy to undo, so a full normal change wastes time.

2 Where do agents pick a template? Show answer

In the standard change catalog.

3 Does a standard change go to CAB? Show answer

No. It’s pre-approved.

4 A standard change caused an incident. What happens? Show answer

Mei reviews the template, and it may go back to normal.

Nice work! SNWR’s safe changes are now quick to raise. 🎉
Next up: Standard Change Proposals and Template Versions

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