2. RFC Classification

After an RFC is created, it moves to the Classification Queue state, where it is assigned to a change manager. The change management team members selected when the RFC is created remain secondary owners, and can take ownership of the item if the change manager cannot complete the work.

You can use the Reassign transition in applicable states to assign the RFC to another change manager as needed.

Next, a preliminary assessment needs to be made of the RFC's importance. This occurs in the Classification state.

All fields are available for editing when you act on an item in the Classification state. This allows the change manager to modify the proposed values for the Priority, Urgency, and Change Category fields. The change manager can provide or update information that is critical for an accurate impact analysis of the RFC. In particular, the change manager can modify the values in the Primary CI and Affected CIs fields and the estimated Implementation Start Date and Implementation End Date.

The change manager must determine the type of RFC change. The Change Type value controls the path the change follows through the workflow.

Normal
Normal changes move through the entire workflow.
Standard
In ITIL, "standard" changes refer to those changes that are commonly performed, such as password resets or user account provisioning. Standard changes are pre-approved and do not follow the normal approval process.

Standard changes also skip the assessment and authorization phases and move directly from the Classification state to impact analysis, which determines the impact of the change on associated services and CIs. If the impact is minor, changes move to the Approved Changes state; otherwise changes move to the CAB Review/Planning state. (For more information, see 3. RFC Impact Analysis.)
Emergency
Emergency changes bypass the Assessment state and move directly to the ECAB (Emergency CAB), which is a subset of the CAB. ECAB is convened to handle emergency RFCs.

Emergency changes must be responded to immediately, and the procedure to be followed in such cases must be planned for. Notifications are provided for notifying ECAB members when emergency changes have been submitted and when a change requires an ECAB meeting.

From the Classification state, the change manager can choose from a variety of options, depending on the Change Type value:

An RFC may be approved, which does not mean that it will subsequently be approved by the CAB, only that it is sufficiently justified to be given further consideration.
An RFC may simply be rejected if it is felt that the change is not justified.
An RFC may be deferred back to the originator, who can modify the item and then re-open it after the change is defined more clearly.
An RFC may need to be assessed further by the change manager before being sent to the CAB.
A standard RFC can be implemented immediately without moving to the CAB, if the impact analysis performed on it determines that it does not require CAB review.

Note: If the RFC was not submitted with linked items, the Linked Items tab does not appear on the Classification state form. The change manager must click Update to add linked items such as problems and incidents.