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Summary
This manual is intended as a reference/training companion for the TeamDynamix Change Enablement tool. This training document assumes a knowledge of TeamDynamix Basic Navigation & Ticketing. For TeamDynamix basic training, see the IT Training Portal to sign up for a scheduled class or request training. For more information about the Change Enablement Process and Guidelines, see the Change Enablement Standard Operating Procedure. [Link Coming Soon]
Terminology
Change Enablement: Change Enablement practices are designed to reduce incidents. The practices aim to ensure efficient and prompt handling of changes to IT infrastructure and code. Whether rolling out new services, managing existing ones, or resolving problems in code, Change Enablement provides context and transparency, helps to avoid bottlenecks, and minimizes risk.
Change: A change is adding, modifying, or removing anything which may have a direct or indirect impact on services.
Change Advisory Board (CAB): A change advisory board (CAB) is a group of people who review and advise on change requests. The CAB is also sometimes referred to as the Change Approval Board.
RFC: Request for Change (RFC) is the "ticket". It is the information submitted through the Change Enablement tool and process to approve and schedule the change.
Standard Change: While defined in the "Change Types" section of this document, Standard Changes are called out here as they have been referred to as "PAS" or "Pre-Approved Changes" in the past. A Standard Change starts out as a Normal Change request and is only classified as a Standard Change once it has been approved for future use.
Asset: Asset refers to the Asset being changed. This list of Assets is selectable in the Change Enablement application.
Note: The Asset field is linked to an Asset from the Assets/CI application in TeamDynamix.
Maintenance Activity: Maintenance Activities are akin to Ticket Tasks. Every Change request (with only one exception) will require at least one Maintenance Activity. The maintenance activity checks for conflict, sends date/time information to the Change Calendar, and allows for iterative changes to be scheduled within one change request. Not to be confused with "Maintenance Task" which is a type of change which is out of scope for this process/tool. (SOP, p.17)
Informational Event: Informational Events are events that are relevant to Change Management but that are not specific changes to productions systems. These events can include things like Back to School, Finals, Year End, etc. and do not require any review or approval. Very low impact changes to development or test may also be logged as Informational for visibility purposes. In circumstances where communication to users is necessary, the expectation is that the communication is done in addition to logging an informational event.
**Changes to production should not be logged as informational events.
Client Portal: The customer facing part of TeamDynamix. Users who do not manage any tickets use the Client Portal to submit requests via the Service Catalog and view articles in the Knowledge Base. [Link to Client Portal]
Service Catalog: Refers to the part of the TeamDynamix Client Portal where Services are listed and users can submit service requests. [Link to Service Catalog]
TDNext: TDNext is the back end of TeamDynamix. In Version 12, this may also be referred to as the Work Management area. This is where anyone who provides a service in TeamDynamix manages the ticket. Not all TeamDynamix users have access to TDNext.
Workflow: The TeamDynamix Change Enablement workflow provides automation to route the RFC through the change process with the least amount of manual intervention from requesters, implementers, and approvers. Every Change Enablement role is affected by the workflow, but it is not visible to anyone but the TeamDynamix Administrator.
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Where to Find the Change Enablement Request Forms
There are two ways to request a change in the TeamDynamix Change Enablement application. Since the Change Enablement process is used primarily by ET&S Staff, the assumption is that most readers of this documentation already have access to TDNext.
From the Service Catalog
Step 1 - Navigate to the Service Catalog at
Step 2 - Search for "Change Enablement". Alternately, use the direct link:
To save the link until later, bookmark the link in the browser or click Add to Favorites from the right side of the screen.
There are two service offerings on the right side of the page:
- Request for Change (RFC) - Click to submit a change (Emergency, Normal, or Standard (Pre-approved))
- Schedule an Informational Event - Click to add an info event on the Change Calendar
From TDx Work Management (TDNext)
Step 1 - Log into TDx Work Management .
Step 2 - Click on the View Applications button at the top of the screen.
Step 3 - Select the Change Enablement application.
Step 4 - To submit a Request for Change (RFC) ticket, click the Request for Change link in the Change Enablement application’s header.
- To add an Informational Event on the Change Calendar, choose Informational Event from the New drop-down in the Change Enablement application’s header.
Change Enablement Application missing?
We can help!
Contact the TeamDynamix Administrator with a request to be added to "the Change Enablement applications".
You will need access to:
- Change Enablement
- Approved Standard Changes
- Asset/CI
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Dashboard and Desktop setup
The Dashboard can be a landing page for the Change Calendar and reports, also known as "queues".
Note: In version 12.0 and later, what was previously called Desktop is now called Dashboard.
The Dashboard in the Change Enablement Application and the Dashboard under the "Home Icon" are customizable. A notable difference is that the Home Dashboard area has the option to add reports from more than one application whereas the Change Enablement Dashboard can only contain reports from the Change Enablement Application. Additionally, the Home Dashboard has a pull-down menu where various pre-configured dashboards can be selected. While users can create dashboards in either area, the pre-configured dashboards can only be modified by the TeamDynamix Administrator.
Dashboard Setup
Change Enablement Dashboard is the main screen when clicking on the Change Enablement Application.
Step 1 - The first time visited, it will appear empty with "Make your Dashboard your own".
Step 2 - To add reports to the dashboard, click "Get Started" and then "Add Widget".
Step 3 - Use the Search bar to locate reports to Add.
Step 4 - Once you add a widget, you’ll see more options to adjust it:
- Plus Symbol (above and below) - Add a new widget above or below the current one
- Up Arrows - Move the widget up
- Down Arrows - Move the widget down
- Remove Widget - Delete the widget
- View Report Details - See additional details about this report.
Recommended Reports for most ET&S Change Requestors and Implementers are:
- Ready for CAB Tickets
- My Approvals
- My Assigned Ticket Tasks
- Tickets Missing Disposition (Late)
- Upcoming Changes - 7 Day Forecast
- My Assigned Tickets
CAB Members may want to also add the CAB Agenda Report.
For more detailed information on setting up Dashboards in TeamDynamix, see our article on Configuring an Application Dashboard and the TeamDynamix Support article on Creating and Managing Dashboards (free sign-in required).
Pre-Configured Dashboards for Change Enablement
The pre-configured dashboards for Change Enablement are located under the Home tab in a pull-down menu. If these dashboards are missing, contact the TeamDynamix Administrator to request access.
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- Change Enablement - Change Calendar – displays just the Change Calendar
- Change Enablement CAB Member Dashboard – for CAB members to view such reports/queues as Changes Ready for CAB
- Change Enablement Implementer/Requestor Dashboard – For requestors and implementers to view reports/queues such as the Change Calendar and requests they have submitted.
Missing Report or Queue?
If there are reports (queues) that would be helpful but are not available, there are two ways to address this:
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Change Calendar
The change calendar can be viewed in three different ways:
- Method 1 - In the Change Enablement application, while configuring the dashboard as described in the previous section, click "Add Widget" and search for "Ticket Calendar" . This will add the Change Calendar to your Change Enablement dashboard.
- Method 2 - In the Change Enablement application, click on the "Ticket Calendar" link under "Standard Reports" in the left pane to open and view the Change Calendar.
- Method 3 - Click the "Home Icon" in the top left then use the pull-down menu at the top to select the "Change Enablement - Change Calendar" Dashboard. If it is not there, request it from the TeamDynamix Administrator.
The Change Calendar in TeamDynamix displays changes from one month ago until two months from now.
The calendar view can be customized as desired by using the Filter button which is funnel icon at the top of the calendar.
If viewing the calendar in Outlook is preferable, see our article on Adding Change Calendar to Outlook for instructions.
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Types of Change
There are three main types of change. Understanding the differences between change types will help to simplify requesting the appropriate one.
Emergency
An Emergency Change must be implemented as soon as possible to resolve a major incident, prevent service interruption, or implement a security patch. Emergency changes are not subject to pre-approval by the CAB. The process for assessment and authorization is expedited to ensure they can be implemented quickly. However, as much as possible, these changes should be communicated and documented, even after the fact. Emergency changes will also be reviewed by the CAB after the change has been implemented.
Standard
Also called "Normal Pre-Approved Standard Change" or "PAS", Standard Changes are low-risk, pre-approved changes which are fully documented, and have a history of success, either in test or production.
- For a standard change to become eligible, or "pre-approved", it must be submitted to the CAB for risk assessment and authorization, as for any other normal change. The risk assessment does not need to be repeated each time the standard change is implemented.
- Once approved, the standard change is the contract for which subsequent instances of the same change must abide. As such, future instances of the approved standard change must stay within the boundaries of the original CAB-approved change with respect to impact and time frame.
- Standard changes are valid for one year before they will need to be re-reviewed by the CAB
Normal
non-emergency changes without a defined pre-approved process. Normal changes may have impact ranging from low to high risk. These changes require Change Advisory Board (CAB) authorization, to ensure completeness, accuracy, and the least possible disruption to service.
- Once a Normal or a Normal-Expedited Change has been approved by CAB, it cannot be rescheduled to another date without coordinating with the Service Owner and the Change Facilitator.
Normal Expedited
Normal changes may also be expedited. Normal-Expedited Changes have the same basic requirements as Normal Changes in terms of approval and recording requirements.
- If a change urgently needs to be performed before the next scheduled CAB meeting, it will be classified as "expedited". An expedited change must be submitted at least 24 hours prior to implementation and include a rationale for its urgency.
- Expedited changes will be reviewed and approved remotely by the CAB. CAB members will vote via the TeamDynamix RFC Change ticket approval process.
- Normal changes should be planned well in advance, expediting the change review process increases risk and should therefore be done only in rare circumstances where planning ahead is not possible and delaying the change would introduce a greater risk than to expedite it.
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Requesting a Change
The Request for Change (RFC) form is designed to collect the information necessary to assess risk, schedule the change, and meet audit requirements. The automation behind the RFC determines such things as who approves the change, whether the change needs to be reviewed after completion, and whether it should be saved for re-use as a Standard Change. There are two parts to the Request for Change:
- The RFC ticket
- A Maintenance Activity
Request For Change (RFC) Form
Task: To Request a change
Instructions
Step 1 - Log into TDx Work Management
Step 2 - Click the View Applications button at the top of the screen and then select Change Enablement.
Step 3 - Click Request for Change in the Dashboard menu bar at the top.
Step 4 - Fill out all required fields being careful to read the help text if necessary.
- If unsure of the Type of Change, check with your Service Line Leader for advice.
- For Standard changes, it will be required to select the title of an existing Approved standard change. If it does not yet exist in the Approved Standard Changes app, it will be necessary to select "Normal" and go through the CAB approval process. See below for more on how to view Approved Standard changes.
- Add Attachments to include any plans (backout, communication, validation, etc).
Step 5 - Click Save.
Step 6 - Click View the change you just created.
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Step 7 - Click the Add pull-down button near the top of the ticket details and select Maintenance Activity.
Step 8 - Give the Maintenance Activity a descriptive Title. The Title will appear on the Change Calendar.
- Note that one change ticket may need more than one Maintenance Activity (ie. changes done in batches or sequence across more than one day/time). See more details below on adding additional Maintenance Activities.
Step 9 - Select a start date/time and an end date/time. Watch for conflicts on the right side of the window when adding date and time.
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Step 10 - Save the Maintenance Activity
Step 11 - Click on the Title of the Change at the top of the "Details" Section to return to the "parent" change ticket.
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Tip: To return to the ticket at anytime, click Search on the left side of the Change Enablement Dashboard and then filter for distinguishing criteria (e.g. Requestor = myself)
Step 12 - Click Mark Complete on the "Reminder! Create a Maintenance Activity" task. This task is to remind you to create the Maintenance activity. It will also be emailed to you with a link to the ticket.
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Step 13 - Check your email and locate the link to attend the Change Approval Board (CAB) Meeting. The link will provide access to the weekly Wednesday meeting at 1:00 PM. However, you will have to add this to your Outlook calendar manually.
View All Approved Standard Changes
When creating an RFC ticket for a Standard Change, all approved changes are selectable in the Select Standard Change field on the RFC form.
Task: To view Approved Standard Changes
Instructions
Step 1 - Click View Applications at the top of the TDNext window, then select the Approved Standard Changes app.
Step 2 - Click Configuration Items on the left pane.
Step 3 - Use the Filter button at the top of the screen to locate a specific change. Fill in search criteria and click Apply
Step 4 - Click on the desired item to see details. Repeat step 3 to search again if needed.
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Attending the Change Advisory Board (CAB) Meeting
The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is comprised of Orchestrators, Service Line Leaders, and their delegates. The purpose of the CAB meeting is to review and evaluate proposed changes, assessing risk, impact, urgency and benefits. The CAB ensures that the changes are necessary, well-planned, and safely scheduled.
The CAB is the authorizing body who will approve Normal and Expedited changes before they are implemented. CAB Members will also review Emergency and Expedited changes after implementation to learn more about the nature of the urgency and if there were any lessons learned which could benefit other change implementers CAB provides a transparent decision-making process and documented record of why a change was approved or not.
The CAB is also responsible for ensuring that changes are aligned with organizational policies, compliance standards, and best practices. Change requestors and implementers are required to attend CAB if they have a scheduled change on the agenda. Anyone in the ET&S Department is welcome to attend a CAB meeting.
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Managing the RFC Ticket to Completion
Once an RFC ticket has been approved, the next workflow task is assigned to the Requestor for follow up.
There are several ways to manage the change ticket:
- Use the aforementioned Dashboards to keep track of your change queue. In particular, the My Assigned Tasks queue will show anything waiting for your approval
- Click Search on the left side of the Change Enablement Dashboard and then filter for the change
- Pay close attention to email notifications from notify.teamdynamix@unh.edu as those will contain instructions and a link to your change
- Click on the maintenance activity from the Change Calendar and then select the linked change title under the "Change" field near the top of the maintenance activity task
Leave the ticket open until the change has been completed.
Once the change has been completed, select the appropriate Choice Step option on the Maintenance Activity documenting the outcome:
- Change completed successfully
- Change completed with errors
- Change resulted in outage
- Change backed out
- Change cancelled
Add comments, then click Save.
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THE TICKET WILL THEN CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY. So it is not necessary to update or close the RFC ticket itself.
Note that a CAB invitation will also be sent to your email if your change ended unsuccessfully. This is not punitive, rather an opportunity to understand what happened and help the CAB members to better review change requests.
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Iterative Changes
Iterative changes are generally Standard changes that happen on a regular cadence, such as weekly or monthly application maintenance. Maintenance Activities make the scheduling of these changes very simple. Normal changes may also have more than one Maintenance Activity if there are multiple parts to one change.
Task: To create additional instances of the same change
Instructions
Step 1 - Open the RFC ticket.
Step 2 - Click Add then Maintenance Activity.
Step 3 - Provide a descriptive Title - this will appear on the Change Calendar
Step 4 - Set the start date/time and end date/time for this new instance. Watch for conflicts on the right side of the window when adding date and time.
Step 5 - Save the Maintenance Activity.
Step 6 - Repeat these steps for as many iterations as needed.
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Informational Events
Informational Events are relevant to Change Management but are not specific changes to production systems. These events can include periods such as Back-to-School, Final Exams, Fiscal Year-End, etc. Informational Events do not require any review or approval.
Very low impact changes to development or test may also be logged as Informational Events for visibility purposes. In circumstances where communication to users is necessary, the expectation is that the communication is done in addition to logging an informational event.
Task: To add an Informational Event to the Change Calendar
Instructions
Step 1 - Navigate to the Change Enablement Application in TeamDynamix.
Step 2 - Click the New button at the top of the page.
Step 3 - Select Informational Event under the Change category.
Step 4 - Fill in the details required in the form.
Step 5 - Remember to add the Maintenance Activity to get the event onto the Change Calendar! The Title of the Maintenance Activity appears on the change calendar with the date/time specified in the Maintenance Activity.
Note: It is also possible to add iterative informational events to the change calendar. Simply add multiple maintenance activities to the one Informational Event Ticket.
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Other RFC Workflow Activities
Re-open Maintenance Activity
If a maintenance activity is accidentally marked complete, follow these steps to re-open it:
Step 1 - Open the RFC ticket.
Step 2 - Click on the Tasks/Activities tab.
Step 3 - Click the Update link under the task that was closed in error.
Step 4 - Change the % Complete field from 100 to the correct value.
Step 5 - Save.
RFC Ticket Rejected (not approved)
When a ticket has been rejected by an approver, it is returned to the Requestor with comments. Here are the steps to get the RFC back into process:
Step 1 - Open the RFC ticket.
Step 2 - Scroll down to the Feed section and review the comments made by the person who rejected the change.
Step 3 - Resolve any items that need to be addressed before the change can be resubmitted.*
Step 5 - View the RFC Ticket details and, on the right side of the ticket detail, click Mark Complete on the task: "Update your RFC ticket and maintenance activity…". This will automatically restart the approval process.
*Note: If the change will not be resubmitted for approval, simply use the Actions pull down menu to close the ticket.
View Workflow History
There may be times when it is not clear what the RFC ticket is waiting for. The workflow history will come in handy for this situation.
Task: To view workflow history or workflow progress
Step 1 - Open the RFC ticket.
Step 2 - Click History or View Progress from the Workflow section on the right side of the ticket detail.
- History - shows the ticket progress in list form.
- View Progress - shows the workflow diagram. The current step will have a dark header.
Date Changes
Occasionally, it is necessary to change the date for scheduled change.
Important: If the date needs to be modified after the change has been approved, then the change must be reviewed again at CAB. To resubmit the change, contact the CAB Facilitator.
Task: To modify a change that has not yet been approved
Step 1 - Open the RFC.
Step 2 - Click on the Edit link within the Maintenance Activity task.
Step 3 - Make the necessary changes to the date.
Step 4 - Click Save.
Searching for RFC Tickets
If an RFC is missing or not in the view where it is expected, use the filter to locate it.
Task: To search for RFC tickets with through filters
Step 1 - Open the Change Enablement Application in TeamDynamix
Step 2 - Click the Search link from the left pane.
Step 3 - Click on the funnel Filter icon near the right end of the Change Enablement menu bar.
Step 4 - Fill in whatever fields are most relevant to the ticket(s) to be located.
Step 5 - Click Apply at the top of the filter pane.
Note: Once the report results are shown, you can use New Saved Search to save the current search filters to run again in the future. Use My Saved Searches to run saved searches.
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Managing RFC Workflow Approvals (CAB Members & Approvers)
CAB Members and Approvers will have slightly different interactions with RFC tickets. These roles are not responsible for managing the ticket but will be responsible for prompt attention to approval requests.
Voting CAB Members and Service Line Leaders should approve the RFC via the workflow step. Delegates should only approve when the Service Line Leader cannot.
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CAB Member Dashboard/Desktop
CAB Members will require a dashboard to view the Change Calendar and reports (queues) such as "Ready for CAB", "My Approvals", and "Post Implementation Review". See one of these sections for instructions for setting up a dashboard/desktop:
- CAB Member Dashboard - This is a pre-configured dashboard with basic reports that are relevant to CAB membership.
- To select this Dashboard go to the Home tab and select Change Enablement CAB Member Dashboard from the pull-down menu. If this option is not in the list, contact the TeamDynamix Administrator to provide access.
- CAB Members will also want visibility to the Change Calendar which is available in several locations:
- From the Home tab select Change Enablement - Change Calendar from the pull-down menu. If this option is not in the list, contact the TeamDynamix Administrator to provide access.
- From the Change Enablement Application, select Ticket Calendar under Standard Reports in the left pane.
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RFC Tickets Awaiting Approval
There are several ways for CAB members and approvers to view change tickets awaiting approval:
- Email - Whenever an RFC needs approval, the approver(s) will receive an email that includes a link to the ticket.
- Client Portal - From the USNH Help Central Client Portal, click on View my Tickets, then click on My Approvals in the lower navigation bar
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Notification emails will be sent to CAB Members and other appropriate approver(s) whenever the workflow is waiting for an approval. The notification email will come from notify.teamdynamix@unh.edu and will include a link to the ticket.
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Process Notes for CAB Members and Approvers
Change Approval
Approval should be completed by CAB Approver or Service Line Leader. Delegates should only vote when the primary approver cannot. Select Approve to approve the task.
Change Enablement CAB Team (Teams)
In the Teams application, the CAB Meeting and all chat relating to CAB will take place in the Change Enablement CAB Team .
Please use an appropriate Channel in this Team to ask questions about or discuss any changes in process outside of CAB, such as Expedited or Low Risk Normal changes. It is preferable to discuss a change prior to rejecting it out of hand.
There are several Channels in the Change Enablement CAB Team:
- General - For general change-related chat, documentation, and information sharing
- Weekly CAB Meeting - for chat during the CAB meeting as well as chat related to Expedited, Emergency, and other changes outside of the CAB Meeting
- Low Risk Change Log - This is an informational channel. A notification will be logged to this channel whenever a Low-Risk Normal change has been approved and whenever a vendor-driven change has been scheduled.
- Expedited Change Communication and Chat - for chat related to Expedited, Emergency, and other changes outside of the CAB Meeting
There are also links to Files, Documentation, and Reports.
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Optional useful things you can do
Ticket Templates
Ticket Templates can reduce the time it takes to fill out an RFC ticket when multiple changes will have similar responses to the required fields. If there are certain changes that you frequently request, it may be beneficial to create a template. Ticket Templates can only be used in TDNext (not from the Service Catalog). Ticket templates are explained in detail in the TeamDynamix Basic Navigation and Ticketing training
Task: To create a ticket template
Step 1 - In TDNext, click the View Applications menu and select the Change Enablement Application.
Step 2 - Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Step 3 - Select New Ticket Template from the dropdown menu.
Step 4 - Make sure the Form field has Request for Change filled in.
Step 5 - Fill out the required fields, and any additional information that will make the template useful.
Step 6 - Click the Save button.
Task: To access/use ticket templates
Step 1 - Open a new Request for Change form.
Step 2 - Select your saved template from the Template drop-down.
- Note: The "Templates" form field will not be visible on the Request for Change form until at least one Template has been created. The form field will appear on the form once a single template has been created.
- Select a template before you make any other changes to the ticket or else anything you had done will be erased by the template.
Step 3 - Review ALL the values in the ticket. Modify any that need to be changed from the template values.
Step 4 - When all is correct, click Save.
Add Change Calendar to Outlook
If it is preferable to view the calendar in Outlook rather than the Change Enablement Application, the Change Calendar can be imported into your Outlook. See our article on Adding Change Calendar to Outlook for instructions.
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Change Enablement and Problem Management
One of the reasons TeamDynamix works well for Change Enablement is that Changes can be easily associated with Problems. The TeamDynamix Administrator will be responsible for associating the tickets in TeamDynamix. An explanation of how they can be associated is below: [Coming Soon]
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Further Readings
Change Enablement: Quick Reference (ETS Internal)
Change Enablement: Adding Change Calendar to Outlook (ETS Internal)
Change Enablement - Service request page
TeamDynamix: Configuring an Application Dashboard
TeamDynamix: Reporting Reference Manual
TeamDynamix Basic Navigation and Ticketing training
Change Enablement CAB Team
Creating and Managing Dashboards TeamDynamix Support article (free sign-in required)
Need additional help?
Visit the TeamDynamix area in the Knowledge Base
To request service, report an issue, ask questions, or request training, submit a TeamDynamix Application Administration Support Request