Advanced OT Change Model playbook

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Advanced OT Change Model playbook

    The Advanced Operational Technology (OT) Change Model playbook outlines the structured stages an OT change request with approvals must follow from initiation to closure. It guides ServiceNow customers through capturing change details, planning, approvals, implementation, review, and closure to ensure controlled and safe modifications to OT environments.

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    Initiate

    This stage captures the basic details of the OT change:

    • Describe the change: Includes short description, detailed description, category, site, and notification lists (watch list, work notes list).
    • Capture risk: Priority, risk level, and impact on industrial processes are documented to assess urgency and potential effects.
    • Assign the change: Specifies the requester, assignment group (must be OT type), and assigned user. Changing the assignment group resets the assigned user.

    Plan

    This stage involves detailed preparation before execution:

    • Add justification: Document the reason for the change.
    • Add implementation plan: Outline how the change will be carried out.
    • Add risk and impact analysis: Specify relevant risks and impacts related to the change.
    • Add backout plan: Define steps to reverse the change if needed.
    • Add test plan: Describe how the change implementation will be verified.
    • Schedule the change: Set planned start and end dates, with an option to use the Scheduling Assistant to select available downtime slots automatically.

    Approve

    Reviewers assess the change request and either approve or deny it:

    • Approve or Deny buttons: Reviewers explicitly accept or reject the change.
    • Comments: Additional information can be added regarding the decision.

    Implement

    Execution of the change involves:

    • Stop the function: Optionally stop OT device functions before changes.
    • Ensure LOTO: Complete Lockout/Tagout procedures to maintain safety during maintenance.
    • Perform the change: Carry out and complete the change on the targeted OT devices.

    Post-implementation Review

    After implementation, verify and finalize the change:

    • Perform checks: Electrical, network, quality, and safety checks must be completed and documented.
    • Recommend spin-off tasks: Create additional OT change tasks for any remaining work discovered during review.
    • Revoke LOTO: Complete the process to remove lockout/tagout safety measures after the change is verified.

    Close

    Final stage to formally close the change record:

    • Close code: Document the reason for closing the change.
    • Close notes: Add any additional closing details.

    This playbook enables ServiceNow customers managing OT environments to follow a comprehensive, safety-focused change management process ensuring proper planning, risk mitigation, approvals, and verification, minimizing operational impact and maintaining compliance.

    Learn about the Advanced Operational Technology (OT) Change Model playbook stages that an OT change with approvals must go through until it’s completed.

    Initiate

    The Initiate stage of an OT Change request lets you capture the details of the requested change and assign the change as necessary. This stage has three tasks.
    Table 1. Describe the change
    Field Description
    Short description Brief description of the change.
    Description Details of the change.
    Category Type of change.
    Site Site where the change takes place.
    Watch list Users who receive notifications about this change when comments are added.
    Work notes list Users who receive notifications about this change when work notes are added.
    Table 2. Capture risk
    Field Description
    Priority Impact and urgency to identify how quickly the change should be addressed.
    Risk Amount of risk the change poses.
    Impact Measure of the effect that a change has on your industrial processes.
    Table 3. Assign the change
    Field Description
    Requested by User who requests the change.
    Assignment group Assigned group that works on the change. The assignment group can be any group with the type OT.
    Assigned to User who works on this change. If the assignment group changes, the Assigned to field is cleared.

    Plan

    The Plan stage of an OT change request lets you add a justification for the change, an implementation plan, a risk and impact plan, a backout plan, a test plan, and a time to schedule the change. This stage has six tasks.

    Table 4. Add justification
    Field Description
    Justification Reason why the change must take place.
    Table 5. Add implementation plan
    Field Description
    Implementation plan Details of how to implement the requested change.
    Table 6. Add risk and impact analysis
    Field Description
    Risk and impact analysis Details of any risk and impact factors that are related to this change.
    Table 7. Add backout plan
    Field Description
    Backout plan Details of how to reverse the change in place if necessary.
    Table 8. Add test plan
    Field Description
    Test plan Details of how to test the implemented change.
    Table 9. Schedule the change
    Field Description
    Planned start date Date that the change takes place.
    Note:
    You can also choose an available downtime slot on the calendar by selecting the Scheduling Assistant button to fill in the planned start date field automatically.
    Planned end date Date that the change ends.
    Note:
    You can also choose an available downtime slot on the calendar by selecting the Scheduling Assistant button to fill in the planned end date field automatically.

    Approve

    The Approve stage of an OT Change request lets reviewers approve or deny the OT Change. This stage includes only one task.

    Table 10. Review and take action
    Field Description
    Approve button If you're a reviewer shown in the table on the task form, select Approve to accept the change.
    Deny button If you're a reviewer shown in the table on the task form, select Deny to reject the change.
    Comments Additional information about the approval or denial of the change.

    For more information about change approvals, see Operational Technology change approval.

    Implement

    The Implement stage of an OT change request provides the details of the following tasks. You can mark this stage as complete when it's finished.

    Stop the function
    If needed, mark as complete after you stop the function of the targeted OT devices.
    Ensure LOTO
    Lockout/Target (LOTO) is a safety procedure to prevent accidental or unintentional start-up of machinery during maintenance or service. Mark as complete when LOTO is completed.
    Perform the change
    Mark as complete when the change is performed on the targeted OT devices and completed.

    Post-implementation Review

    The Post-implementation Review stage of an OT change request lets you check off the performed tasks, create additional OT change tasks for remaining work identified during the review, and mark the revoke LOTO process as complete.
    Table 11. Perform checks
    Field Description
    Perform electrical check Check box that you select after the electrical check has been completed.
    Perform network check Check box that you select after the network check has been completed.
    Perform quality check Check box that you select after the quality check has been completed.
    Perform safety check Check box that you select after the safety check has been completed.
    Table 12. Recommend spin-off tasks
    Field Description
    OT Change Tasks List of the change tasks that are related to the OT change.
    State State of the OT change. The state moves and tracks changes through several stages of resolution.
    Assigned to User who works on this change. If the assignment group changes, the Assigned to field is cleared.
    Short description Brief description of the change task.
    Revoke LOTO
    After the change is implemented and reviewed, mark as complete when the lockout-target is revoked.

    Spin-off Tasks

    The Spin-off Tasks stage lists all the change tasks in the Post Implementation Review that must be completed.

    Close

    The Close stage lets you close the change record after the change is completed.
    Table 13. Close change record
    Field Description
    Close code Reason that the change record was closed.
    Close notes Additional details about closing the change record.