Change Enablement

What is a Change Request?

A change request is any request that would involve changes to any IT systems, new IT systems, investment in IT hardware, or projects supported by our IT services team.

A change request is not a support request. Requests such as faults with existing equipment or systems, issues accessing existing IT services, or general questions should be submitted using the guide on the Contacting IT Support page.

Examples of changes the IT services team have supported in the past are:

• We’re purchasing a service that will really help us target the gaps in our students’ phonics skills, the system just needs setting up by IT.
• We need 10 new applications for our computing scheme of work that we’ve bought into. IT just need to deploy them for us.
• We’re changing how we use several rooms this half-term and this means we need the IT re-arranging in order to match.
• Using new software (even if the software is free)
• Investment in IT equipment (including from school budgets or external funding).

All of these would now need to be submitted as a change request.

Why are we introducing a Change Enablement process?

Our change enablement process has been designed based on best practice in the education IT services sector to ensure the IT services team has the capacity to effectively support schools and provide clarity on when changes can be implemented.

Across a Multi-Academy Trust there will always be some variation in the IT systems used in schools. The greater the variation in the systems used, the greater the resource we need to effectively support them and the slower the pace of change. Put simply, the fewer IT systems we need to support, the better we can support the IT systems we use.

The change enablement process enables us to:

• Effectively project manage the implementation of change, providing you with clarity on when things will happen.
• Consider and manage any risks associated with the change request and minimise any disruption to the school.
• Consider opportunities for standardisation in the IT systems we are using
• Deliver a highly responsive and knowledgeable IT service
• Ensure any IT systems we use are compliant with legislation, including KCSIE & UK GDPR
• Protect our staff and pupils against cyber attacks

By introducing a change enablement process, we will maximise the rate at which we successfully implement change.

How does this help you?

By involving everyone early in the process, we’ll be able to plan the changes that are implemented properly, and schedule them in line with our capacity, and reduce the risk of changes being delayed.

With everyone using our change enablement process, we’ll be able to:

• Help you scope the best solution and draw knowledge from across the trust.
• Have much better understanding of changes before we implement them.
• Be able to effectively prepare for changes and schedule the work required around the school’s needs.
• Identify where a change cannot proceed before you expend time, energy, and money trying to implement something that we cannot support.

What do you need to do?

Raising a request for change

When thinking about a change, the IT services team can support you with scoping and designing the change request. In some cases, we will have solutions that we’re already using elsewhere that we can implement much quicker.

We’ve created a very simple form that asks a few questions about your change request to enable it to be considered by the Change Advisory Board. Click on the link below to open it.

Raise a Change Request

Change Advisory Board

The core Change Advisory Board (CAB) consists of the Deputy CEO, the Director of Education, and the Head of IT. The CAB meets once a month to consider change requests. Once submitted, a change will be reviewed at the next change advisory board meeting. The CAB will consider the following:

• Impact of the change on education or business operations.
• Availability of alternative solutions already in use across the trust.
• Capacity of the trust to support the change.
• Cost
• Data protection
• Cyber security

The CAB will either accept or reject the change and then communicate their decision to you. CAB may prioritise changes according to risk and impact, and this will affect the scheduling of changes already in the project queue.

Project Queue

Accepted changes will be placed in the project queue for scheduling. The Head of IT will give you an initial estimate of when we expect that the work might be able to start, and we’ll keep you updated as this develops.