IT Change Plan Template
Lay out each step by time and by who acts, mark the go or no-go point and the rollback, and keep the instructions and tests behind every step.
Free forever on the Personal plan
Change plans: an example
Every step on the clock
Steps sit under the time they start, so the window reads left to right.
One decision point
The go or no-go point and its deadline are on the page, not in a footnote.
Rollback ready
The way back is planned and timed before the window starts.
The basics
What is an IT change plan?
An IT change plan describes how a change will be made to a live system: what changes and why, the risk, the window, each step with who does it, the tests that prove it worked, the point where you decide to continue or roll back, and how to roll back.
Change boards and clients approve changes from the plan, and engineers follow it during the window. A plan written as a ticket description is hard to follow at half past seven on a Saturday; a diagram shows the sequence and the decision at a glance.
In Blueprintr the plan is a diagram with a lane for each party and a column for each time, and every step opens a stratum with its instructions and tests.
Why Blueprintr
Change plans engineers can follow in the window
The sequence on the canvas, the instructions behind every step.
Lanes and time columns
Draw a lane per party and a column per time, with steps, decision diamonds and a rollback lane, using Vellum's flowchart shapes.
VellumInstructions and tests behind steps
Give each step a stratum with numbered instructions, the tests that prove it worked and the evidence to record in the ticket.
StratumSign-off before it goes live
On team-owned blueprints, require an admin or named approvers to sign off a change to the plan before it is merged, with each decision in the audit log.
A plan for each change you repeat
Save a plan as an organisation template for changes you make often, such as firmware upgrades or switch replacements.
Present it to the change board
On Premium, walk the board through the plan with Podium, one framed part of the live diagram per slide.
PodiumTell the right channel
On the Team plan, an organisation webhook can post to Slack or Microsoft Teams when a plan is published.
How to
How to write a change plan in Blueprintr
Create a blueprint
Sign up free and create a blueprint for the change, named with its change number.
Set out lanes and times
Add a lane for each party and a row of times across the top of the window.
Place the steps
Add each step under its time, a diamond for the go or no-go point, and the rollback steps beneath it.
Write instructions and tests
Right-click each step and add a stratum with its instructions, tests and owner.
Get it approved
Share the plan with the change board and the client, and link it from the change ticket.
FAQ
Questions about change plans
Is this change plan template free?
Yes. The Vellum editor, flowchart shapes and strata are on the free Personal plan. Approval workflows and the audit log are part of the Team plan.
What should an IT change plan include?
What changes and why, the risk and downtime, each step with its owner and time, the tests, a go or no-go point with a deadline, a rollback that fits the window, and who approved it.
What is a go or no-go point?
The time in a change window by which you decide whether to keep the change or roll it back. It is set early enough that a rollback still finishes inside the window, which is why it needs a fixed time.
Can a change plan be approved in Blueprintr?
On team-owned blueprints, yes. A team can require an admin or a multi-step workflow to approve edits before they are merged into the published plan. Approval records the sign-off; the author then merges it.
Can I link the plan to my change ticket?
Yes. Every blueprint has its own link. Put it in the change ticket so approvers and engineers open the same plan.
Can I reuse a change plan?
Yes. Save it as an organisation template. Each new change starts from a private copy with the same lanes, steps and tests to adjust.