IT Change Request Template

What is an IT change request?

An IT change request is a structured proposal to modify an IT system, application, or infrastructure component — documenting what will change, why, what risks are involved, and who must approve before implementation. It creates an auditable record that connects the business need to the technical action.

Without a change request template, modifications happen through email threads, verbal agreements, or direct action. When something breaks, there is no record of what changed, who approved it, or how to reverse it. A structured template enforces the discipline that ITIL change management requires — ensuring every change is justified, risk-assessed, and reversible before it reaches production.

Who should use this template?

This change request template is for teams that manage controlled IT environments:

• IT Service Desk Managers — route change requests through the correct approval chain based on risk level and scope
• System Administrators — document planned changes with rollback procedures before modifying production systems
• Change Advisory Board Members — review requests with consistent information to make informed approve or reject decisions
• IT Directors — maintain an auditable change log that supports compliance and root cause analysis

What’s included in this template?

The template has two parts: structured metadata fields and the change request body.

Metadata fields classify each request:

• Change title and reference number
• Requester and implementation owner
• Change type — standard, normal, or emergency
• Priority and risk level
• Target implementation date
• Status — submitted, approved, scheduled, implemented, or rejected

Request body documents the change:

• Business justification — why this change is needed and what outcome it supports
• Scope and impact — which systems, services, and users are affected
• Implementation plan — step-by-step actions with timing and responsible parties
• Risk assessment — what could go wrong and how likely each risk scenario is
• Rollback plan — how to reverse the change if implementation fails

How to create and customise this template in Elium

1. Open the Template Builder — Go to your profile menu and select the Template Builder tab, or click “+ Create” and choose “Create a new template”.
2. Set the scope — Choose an icon, enable the template, and decide whether it applies platform-wide or to specific spaces (e.g. your IT Change Management or Infrastructure space).
3. Add structured fields — Click “Field” to add metadata: text fields for change title and reference number, user fields for requester and implementation owner, tag fields for change type and risk level, a date field for target implementation date, and a tag field for status. Mark change title, requester, and risk level as mandatory.
4. Build the request structure — Use the “+” button to add content blocks: text blocks for business justification and scope, a numbered list block for implementation steps, a text block for risk assessment, and a text block for rollback plan. Add placeholder prompts (e.g. “Which systems and users are affected?”).
5. Preview and save — Review the template layout, then save. Teams can now submit change requests using a consistent format, and you can apply it to existing content in bulk.

How AI helps you create and use this template

Capture faster. Paste a project brief or infrastructure diagram notes into Elium’s AI. It identifies the scope, affected systems, and potential risks — then drafts a structured change request that the requester reviews rather than writing from a blank page.

Retrieve smarter. Before approving a change, a CAB member asks Elium’s AI: “Have we made changes to the SAP integration layer in the last 6 months?” The AI returns previous change requests with their outcomes — giving the board context for the new proposal.

Why teams use Elium for IT change management

A change request is only effective when the approval chain can access it and previous changes are searchable. If requests live in email inboxes or ticketing system comments, the CAB lacks context and post-incident reviews lack evidence. Elium makes change history accessible: structured templates ensure every request follows the same format, tags filter by system or risk level, and search returns related changes from a question.

VINCI Energies — a global network of 97,000 employees across 61 countries — uses Elium to centralise IT procedures and operational knowledge. With 4,000+ articles and 500+ daily users, teams access documented processes from a single platform rather than scattered files.