BreadcrumbHomeResourcesBlog How To Visually Document 4 Change Management Processes March 10, 2025 How to Visually Document 4 Change Management Processes IT ManagementBy Justine MacLeanBack to topWhat is Change Management?Change management refers to the way an organization approaches adding to, removing, or altering some part of a system or process. It includes all the activities involved in such a workflow, from the initial request and exploration to development and implementation. Depending on the type of change, this process might last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks or months. Regardless of the level of change your team is managing, it’s important to have systems in place for effective implementation—and documenting this change management process will help you execute your plans without bottlenecks or miscommunication. Table of ContentsWhat is Change Management?How Technical Teams Manage Change4 Change Management Processes That Get Better with Visual Documentation Improve Your Change Management Process with Visual Documentation Table of Contents1 - What is Change Management?2 - How Technical Teams Manage Change3 - 4 Change Management Processes That Get Better with Visual Documentation 4 - Improve Your Change Management Process with Visual Documentation Back to topHow Technical Teams Manage ChangeFor technical teams, the key to managing change is doing it in a way that doesn’t disrupt existing systems or services. Having a defined and tested change management process helps with this, ensuring that you have: Reliability and predictabilityThe ability to adapt to changing circumstancesReduced risk when issues ariseTypically, change management begins with a request. That request often requires evaluation and approval. Then, it’s either declined, or it moves forward into the implementation phase, where it can then be resolved or closed upon completion.As you develop and optimize your change management processes, you’ll want to document them visually, making it easier to teach new team members and communicate with stakeholders. Back to top4 Change Management Processes That Get Better with Visual Documentation Processing Approvals for Data Access Controlling and approving data access is a critical IT change that requires standardization. Without a clearly communicated approval process, there is a risk that service agents might incorrectly grant access or increase software costs by adding unnecessary users to the system. Having defined responses to various scenarios helps you ensure quick, consistent, and effective service. A standard operating procedure, or SOP, diagram helps ensure that the proper users get access in a timely manner while avoiding accidents. Decision treescan serve as part of standard operating procedures that guide your team through situations like these. Implementing a New Software SystemImplementation of a new software system is a large undertaking for an ITSM team, and one that involves many processes coming together to ensure a smooth transition. Workflow diagrams are your new best friend for maintaining a consistent, effective change management process. They help you visualize every step required to gain approval for and implement a change, so you can get the work done fast and communicate expectations to your teammates. Establishing and Executing a Communication Plan When change occurs, especially critical change like implementing a new software system, you need a plan for how and when you are going to communicate that change to stakeholders—the people affected by the change. To establish that plan, you’ll need to map out everyone within your organization who might be impacted by certain types of changes. A stakeholder map helps you organize your thoughts and make sure no one falls through the cracks. You can map out how involved each stakeholder is in the project and at what point in the change management process they should be informed. Transitioning from Manual to Automated Change ProcessesAutomation is one of the key ITSM principles that help teams work more effectively. Interactive visuals linked to company data can not only guide individual contributors through the transition from a manual to automated change processes, but also serve as demonstration for department stakeholders to understand those processes. Back to topImprove Your Change Management Process with Visual Documentation Is your team all-in on the Atlassian ecosystem? If so, Gliffy is the diagramming tool for you. It’s completely integrated with Confluence and built for technical diagramming first. If you have a Confluence space linked to the Jira project that you use to manage change requests, your diagrams can be created and maintained there – it's easy for anyone to access so you never need to spend another hour searching for information from other, external sources of truth. Ready to learn more about how Gliffy can transform your ITSM workflows and help you boost efficiency? We’d love to show you! Schedule Demo Back to top
Justine MacLean Solutions Engineer Justine MacLean's interest in data and drive to learn the best technology solutions in analytics are the foundations that led to her current profession as a Solutions Engineer.She discovered that whether it be a data visualization platform like Tableau or the cloud based applications of Salesforce, her nature to help others translated perfectly into guiding technical evaluations with the end goal of demonstrating to individuals and teams a software's potential to bring value and solve problems. After spending her entire career in large, Fortune 500 companies post graduation from the University of MN-Twin Cities, Justine joined Perforce as its first Solutions Engineer for Gliffy.Justine loves raising her young daughter with her husband and using her Spanish to help the Latino children of Make-A-Wish MN discover their one true wish. At the core of these loves is the skill of communication and listening to others, which are the cornerstones of Justine's professional success.
