Process flow and the stages of a change request

The user interface in BMC Change Management enables managers, administrators, users, and approvers to perform regular tasks simply and efficiently. The Process Flow Status bar on the Change form takes you through the change process from the Initiate stage to the Closed stage. It provides a visual mechanism to track the stages of a change request, as indicated by best practices that are rooted in ITIL processes. For more information, see User roles in the change request lifecycle.

You can use the Process Flow Status bar to control the progression of the request to different stages in the lifecycle. It functions similar to a wizard, guiding you through the stages of the change lifecycle from stage to stage. As you advance through the stages of the change request, the current stage of the change is highlighted on the Process Flow Status bar of the Change form by color and text.

The Status field on the Change form is also updated. The Status and Status Reason field selections are limited to valid status values for the transition.

If a custom process flow is associated with a change template, when you select the change template, the stages indicated in the Process Flow Status bar change reflect the process for the type of change. For example, the process for provisioning a new virtual machine might skip the Plan & Schedule stage. If you do not select a change template, or if the change template is not associated with a custom process flow, the standard change process is followed.

When approval is required within any of the stages, the word Approval is displayed on the Process Flow Status bar. The request will not move to the next stage until all required approvals for that stage have been granted. For example, if an approval is required in the Initiate stage, the required users are prompted to approve, cancel, or reject the change request before the change request can move to the Review & Authorize stage. You can approve changes from the Approval table on the change form or Approval Central, if you are a valid approver for the change.

You can also perform other functions using the Process Flow Status bar. For more information, see Performing additional functions from the Process Flow Status bar.

When you select an accelerator, you might be prompted to enter the data required to complete the stage. For example, when you are in the Plan & Schedule stage you are prompted to enter the required start and end date of the change request and its tasks.Selecting an accelerator from the Process Flow Status bar

Example of a process flow dialog box

The current and overall approval status of the change is highlighted by the following colors:

• Yellow — Pending
• Green — Approved
• Red — Rejected
• Gray—Transitional (does not require an approval)