Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS change management process

Updated: Feb. 18, 2025

Overview of IT change management at ITS

On February 19, 2025, ITS is launching a uniform IT change management (CM) process for use by teams and staff members across ITS—with visibility and communication to members of the IT@UofT community as needed. The goals of this process are to: increase transparency and awareness when changes are forthcoming; streamline the process by making it consistent across ITS teams and units; and help other IT@UofT staff gain greater visibility into changes and their impacts.

In particular, this new process aligns with key objectives in portfolio management under the Refreshed Strategic Plan—connecting to the overall goal of fostering transparency, communication and trust across the University community.

Change management is being implemented across our organization using the Enterprise Service Centre (ESC), based on the ServiceNow platform. This tool will be the central hub for managing, reviewing and approving IT changes. Training and resources are being developed and distributed (staff will receive Outlook calendar invitations to training sessions). If you’re responsible for submitting or approving changes, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the new process.

Change management in ESC: Who, how and why

Any ITS staff members with ESC Fulfiller access will be able to initiate a new change in the ESC change management dashboard. ITS staff are asked to subscribe to the change management LISTSERV which will publish information about approved changes. You can also visit the news story announcing the new CM process for more information on the importance and value of this initiative.

The implementation of change management in ESC will impact:

  • All ITS teams: Anyone involved in requesting, approving or implementing changes will be using the new CM process.
  • Service owners: All service owners will have to ensure all changes are properly documented and reviewed.
  • Stakeholders and business units: These groups and roles can expect greater transparency into IT changes and their potential impacts. These may include single-department faculties (SDFs) at U of T, the ACE-IT committee and other interested parties.

While the initial focus will be on IT processes, this system will eventually benefit all departments by improving service reliability and communication.

Benefits of a uniform IT change management process

With change management in ServiceNow, ITS is positioned to achieve:

  • Reduced risk by identifying and mitigating potentially adverse effects before they occur.
  • Increased efficiency through streamlined workflows for submitting, reviewing and approving changes.
  • Improved communication due to enhanced visibility and collaboration between teams.
  • Better decision-making with the proper tools to evaluate risks, impacts and readiness and to ensure informed decisions.
  • Service reliability due to fewer service disruptions and more predictable outcomes for our IT changes.

This isn’t just a process change—it’s a leap forward in how we manage and deliver IT services.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

A “change” is defined as the “addition, modification or removal of anything that could have an effect on IT services,” according to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Change management is a structured process to plan, assess and approve changes to IT systems and services, ensuring minimal risk and maximum efficiency. Thus far, there has been no set uniform process for tracking changes across ITS.

ESC is built on the ServiceNow platform, a proven platform for managing IT processes. It centralizes change requests, automates workflows and improves communication across teams.

Staff can actively begin entering changes on February 19, 2025. Assessment and review of changes will begin on March 4, 2025 with the first Change Advisory Board (CAB) meeting. Training and resources will be provided before the launch of the new process to ensure everyone is prepared.

Yes. The Enterprise Applications & Service Integration (EASI) team within ITS, in consultation with all other areas of ITS, is developing training sessions and other instructional resources such as user guides, while offering ongoing support to help all staff get comfortable with the new process. Staff will receive Outlook calendar invitations to training sessions, and can join any upcoming session using the following links:

EASI is implementing the new process and providing training because they oversee ESC and ServiceNow, but the development of both the process and the related training materials have been an ITS-wide effort.

You’ll gain access to tools and workflows that make submitting and approving changes faster, clearer and more secure. The system is designed to simplify your work while reducing the risk of unexpected issues.

Have more questions? Submit a help request through the ESC.