Change & Release Management: Key Roles & Best Practices

Change management and release management are interconnected yet distinct processes within IT that ensure efficient and secure deployment of changes, with change management focusing on justifying, evaluating, and approving changes and release management handling the logistics of implementing these changes. Low-code platforms are transforming these processes by standardizing development and deployment, thus simplifying change approvals and expediting safe releases. Change management is a structured decision-making pipeline aiming to minimize service disruptions, reduce deployment risks, ensure compliance, and enhance communication between IT and business stakeholders. It classifies changes into standard, normal, and emergency categories, each requiring different levels of assessment and approval. Release management, on the other hand, deals with the execution and involves building, testing, deploying, and monitoring changes, aiming to coordinate multiple changes into structured releases with minimal risk. Both processes are crucial for maintaining a stable software ecosystem by reducing risks, improving efficiency, and boosting collaboration, with best practices including following ITIL guidelines, automation, using a CMDB, controlled deployment strategies, and enhancing collaboration between IT and business teams.