1 Assess the impact

The first step to prioritize the recovery actions for a failed change is to assess the impact of the failure on the IT service and the business. You need to determine the severity, scope, and duration of the failure, as well as the potential risks and consequences for the customers, users, and stakeholders. You can use tools such as incident management, problem management, and service level management to help you with this assessment. The impact assessment will help you decide whether to roll back, fix, or proceed with the change.

2 Communicate the status

The second step to prioritize the recovery actions for a failed change is to communicate the status of the failure and the recovery plan to the relevant parties. You need to inform the change owner, the change advisory board (CAB), the service owner, the service desk, and the affected customers and users about the nature, cause, and impact of the failure, as well as the expected resolution time and actions. You also need to update the change record and the configuration management database (CMDB) with the latest information. Communication is essential to maintain trust, transparency, and collaboration among the parties involved in the change process.

4 Analyze the root cause

The fourth step to prioritize the recovery actions for a failed change is to analyze the root cause of the failure and identify the lessons learned. You need to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) or a post-mortem analysis with the change owner, the CAB, the service owner, and other relevant parties to determine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how it can be prevented or mitigated in the future. You need to document the findings and recommendations in a report and share it with the stakeholders. You also need to update the change management policy, process, and procedures with the improvements and best practices.

5 Implement corrective actions

The fifth step to prioritize the recovery actions for a failed change is to implement corrective actions based on the root cause analysis and the lessons learned. You need to assign roles and responsibilities for the corrective actions and track their progress and completion. You also need to verify and validate that the corrective actions are effective and do not introduce new errors or issues. You need to document the corrective actions and their outcomes in the change record and the CMDB.

6 Review and close the change

The sixth and final step to prioritize the recovery actions for a failed change is to review and close the change. You need to evaluate the overall performance and outcome of the change and the recovery actions. You need to measure and report on the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the service level agreements (SLAs) related to the change and the service. You also need to collect and analyze feedback from the customers, users, and stakeholders on their satisfaction and expectations. You need to document the review and closure in the change record and the CMDB.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?