Change Runbook Template
⚠️
Every Normal and Emergency change must have a completed runbook approved before the change window begins. No runbook = no change authorisation.
# Change Runbook — [Change Number]
## 1. Change Overview
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Change number | CHG0012345 |
| Change title | [Short description] |
| Change type | Normal / Emergency |
| Requested by | [Name] |
| Implementer | [Name] |
| Change window | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM – HH:MM (TZ) |
| Rollback deadline | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM (TZ) |
| Estimated duration | XX minutes |
| Affected services | [Service 1, Service 2] |
| Affected CIs | [CI names and IDs] |
| Risk level | Low / Medium / High |
| Change manager approval | [Name] [Date] |
| CAB approval | [Yes/No] [Date] |
---
## 2. Business Impact
**Services affected:**
- [Service name] — [impact description, e.g. "10-minute downtime expected"]
**Users affected:**
- [Team/department name] — [count, e.g. "~200 users"]
**Communication sent:**
- [ ] End users notified: [Date/Time]
- [ ] Management notified: [Date/Time]
- [ ] Service Desk briefed: [Date/Time]
---
## 3. Pre-Change Checks
Complete all checks BEFORE starting the change. Record results.
| # | Check | Expected Result | Actual Result | Status |
|---|-------|----------------|---------------|:------:|
| 1 | [e.g. Backup completed] | Backup job successful | | ☐ |
| 2 | [e.g. Monitoring alerts silenced] | No active alerts | | ☐ |
| 3 | [e.g. Rollback environment ready] | Snapshot taken | | ☐ |
| 4 | [e.g. Vendor support on standby] | Ticket open, contact confirmed | | ☐ |
**Go/No-Go decision**: ☐ GO ☐ NO-GO
Confirmed by: _____________ Time: _____________
---
## 4. Implementation Steps
| Step | Action | Command / Procedure | Expected Result | Completed |
|:----:|--------|---------------------|-----------------|:---------:|
| 1 | [Action] | `[command or link to procedure]` | [Expected outcome] | ☐ |
| 2 | [Action] | | | ☐ |
| 3 | [Action] | | | ☐ |
| N | Notify Service Desk | Email/ticket update | Desk aware of completion | ☐ |
**Notes during implementation:**
> [Record any deviations, issues, or observations here in real-time]
---
## 5. Post-Change Checks
| # | Check | Expected Result | Actual Result | Status |
|---|-------|----------------|---------------|:------:|
| 1 | [e.g. Service responding] | HTTP 200 / service online | | ☐ |
| 2 | [e.g. Monitoring active] | Alerts resumed, no new alerts | | ☐ |
| 3 | [e.g. User acceptance] | Confirmed with [test user] | | ☐ |
**Change outcome**: ☐ Successful ☐ Successful with issues ☐ Failed — rollback executed
---
## 6. Rollback Plan
**Rollback trigger**: If post-change checks fail OR service does not recover within [X] minutes.
**Rollback decision authority**: [Name/Role]
| Step | Rollback Action | Command / Procedure | Expected Result |
|:----:|----------------|---------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | [Rollback step] | `[command]` | [Expected state] |
| 2 | | | |
**Rollback completed by**: _____________ Time: _____________
---
## 7. Sign-off
| Role | Name | Signature | Time |
|------|------|-----------|------|
| Implementer | | | |
| Change Manager | | | |
| Service Owner | | | |