3. RFC Impact Analysis

The change manager should update the change item with pertinent data before it leaves the Classification state. This ensures that the full impact of the RFC is taken into account when the impact analysis is initially conducted.

The impact analysis process involves the following steps:

1. Associate CIs with the change item. The Primary CI field stores CIs directly acted upon by the change request; the Affected CIs field stores CIs that could be impacted by the change request. This step can be performed when the RFC is submitted or classified, and then adjusted prior to the impact analysis.
2. Schedule the change by selecting an Implementation Start Date and Implementation End Date on the Implementation tab.
3. Generate the Impact Analysis Results by clicking the Impact Analysis tab.
4. Review the results. If there are warning icons in the results, rule out potential technical problems before proceeding.
5. Approve the RFC by clicking the Approve button.
6. Make an initial evaluation of the impact by selecting an Impact Assessment value on the Impact Analysis tab of the Approve transition form.
7. At this point, impact analysis routing is performed. If the RFC does not meet the approval criteria described above, it moves to the CAB Review/Planning state so its impact can be formally reviewed. Otherwise, it moves to the Approved Changes state.
   Note: Standard changes normally skip the CAB Review/Planning state, but if they do not meet the approval criteria described above, they are routed to this state anyway.
8. Make adjustments and then regenerate the impact analysis to see the new results. For example, you can try to change the implementation dates to reduce the impact to an acceptable level.
9. If the impact still does not meet the approval criteria, do one of the following:
   • Approve the RFC, and on the Impact Analysis tab of the Approve transition form, change the Impact Assessment value to Investigated but determined insignificant or Investigated, no action required.
   • Keep the RFC in the CAB Review/Planning state by selecting one of the other Impact Assessment options.

Use the Changes in Range (Impact Analysis) report to see the change items with conflicting implementation dates (that is, implementation dates that are in the same range). You are prompted to provide query parameters based on implementation dates and the item ID before running this report.