Introduction to Change and Problem Management

Welcome to SysAid Change Management and SysAid Problem Management!

For the full guide to SysAid Change Management and Problem Management, please go here.
For an example of a change using SysAid Change Management, please go here.
To view the setup FAQ, please go here.

More about SysAid's Change Management Software.

SysAid Change Management

"The one constant in life is change." This is true in business, as well. Just when we feel that we're starting to understand things the way they are, it's time to change again. In a business setting, change is generally viewed as a good thing, a step towards the future. However, change can also create chaos. In order to prevent the change associated with natural progression and growth from becoming harmful disorder and confusion, it's necessary to create an orderly framework through which all changes can take place. This framework is called Change Management.

Change Management comes into play on a regular basis in every company. For example, think of the process that occurs each time a new employee joins the company. IT must create network passwords, procure equipment (computer, monitor, etc.), set up email accounts, and more. In larger organizations, this process will involve more than one person, and frequently has a set order in which the steps must be taken. Sometimes, approvals are necessary, as well. For example, do all employees have the same level of network permissions? Do they have admin rights on their own computer? Somebody must decide these things, and somebody must approve them. Change Management dictates that a standard procedure is followed each time a new employee joins the company and ensures that this process is followed each time. SysAid Change Management gives you the tools you need to create a template for this process, and for each and every change your organization faces.

SysAid Change Management is modeled after the Change Management principles of the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) standard. ITIL recognizes that there are many ways to run an IT operation, and attempts to find the optimal way of doing so. By conforming to ITIL, SysAid gives you a Change Management system that conforms to globally recognized IT best practices. Whether you have your systems audited by external parties or not, you will rest assured knowing that your change processes are running in a manner recognized and approved by experts around the world.

SysAid Problem Management

"I can't access the database... again!"
"The email server just crashed for the third time today!"
"I know you've already fixed the printer twice this week, but it's stopped working again."

The one thing service desk professionals can rely upon when they get to work in the morning is that something that was working yesterday will not be working anymore today. They put out many different fires throughout the course of their work. Through all of this, one thing that is certain is that not all service records are created equal. The ITIL standard identifies two types of issues: incidents and problems.

Incidents are very straightforward issues that need one-time fixes. Password resets are incidents. A password reset is a self-contained issue, and so common that an administrator can usually perform one while sleeping. Another incident could be a router burning out; it doesn't happen often, but when it does, you know the solution-- immediately buy a new router. 

Problems are more complex issues that tend to generate related incidents. In other words, problems are the underlying root cause of one or more incidents.  Here are a few examples:

• The internet goes down randomly throughout the day for five-minute intervals, which leads to different issues being reported like chat not working, browsers not working or VoIP phone systems not working. All these reported issues have the same root cause.
• A particular server periodically fails to respond. Every person who uses this server submits an incident reporting a different application is unresponsive - but the root cause of all these incidents is that each of these applications is hosted on the same server. 
• When an incident is successfully resolved but returns the next day.

Because problems lead to multiple incident reports and may have complex solutions that take days to uncover, the ITIL standard provides a different framework for problem-solving than for incident response. All related incidents must be attached to the problem, the problem must be analyzed, and a solution must be developed. Furthermore, to aid in the resolution process, a standard problem-solving process is developed and applied to all problems. SysAid Problem Management is built around this ITIL framework and allows you to adhere to industry best practices as you and your IT department face the many challenging problems that will arise.

Goals in setting up Change Management and Problem Management

SysAid gives you the tools to implement your change and problem processes, but it's still up to you to develop these processes. Before sitting down with SysAid and beginning to configure, it is highly recommended to map out your desired change and problem templates. Identify what sorts of templates you will need, how many templates you will need, and who will participate in changes and problems. One of the primary goals of Change Management and Problem Management is process standardization, so if you are always creating templates as you go, you will never achieve the standardization you require.