How to Use CAB Meetings to Manage Changes

What Is a Change Advisory Board (CAB)?

A Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a group within the organization responsible for evaluating proposed changes to its IT systems. Composed of stakeholders from different departments and areas of the organization, CAB members assess, prioritize, authorize, reject, and schedule changes as part of the change control process. This ensures changes are made in a coordinated manner, minimizing potential disruptions to services and support.

What Are CAB Meetings?

CAB meetings are an integral part of Change Management, providing a centralized and streamlined manner for evaluating and approving proposed changes to IT infrastructure and services. Before the introduction of IT Service Management tools like Freshservice, Change Management processes were typically managed manually or through disparate systems, making it challenging and time-consuming to track changes and evaluate changes safely and efficiently. As a result, unapproved or untested changes to IT systems were often implemented, leading to unexpected downtime, service issues, and disruptions.

CAB Features in Freshservice

With Freshservice, organizations possess a consistent method to evaluate and review proposed changes. By leveraging CAB features, it can automate change requests, track change history, and provide an efficient and secure way for stakeholders to identify potential risks and mitigate them before changes are implemented, minimizing the likelihood of service disruptions or outages.

CAB meetings in Freshservice provide the following features:

• Change Calendar
• Change Requests
• CAB Workspaces
• Agenda Management
• Approval Workflow
• Change History

Why Schedule and Run CAB Meetings in Freshservice?

• Simplified Scheduling: Schedule CAB meetings directly in the change calendar, making it easy to track and manage all scheduled meetings.
• Simplified Prioritization: Filter, organize, and prioritize change requests for review, ensuring all proposed changes are evaluated in a timely and efficient manner.
• Simplified Collaboration: Collaborate in a dedicated workspace to evaluate and approve change requests, streamlining communication and capturing all relevant information.
• Simplified Agendas: Create and share an agenda for each CAB meeting, keeping stakeholders informed and up to date.

Top 6 Benefits – CAB Meetings in Freshservice

• Increased Transparency and Visibility
• Faster, More Efficient, and Consistent Change Process
• Reduced Risk of Disruptions
• Improved Stakeholder Communication
• Better Compliance and Governance
• More Efficient Use of Time and Resources

How to Schedule and Manage CAB Meetings

To schedule and manage CAB meetings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Work Calendar.
2. On the right-hand side, click the “+ Schedule” button, which brings down a dropdown.
3. Select CAB Meeting, and now it opens a new meeting, where you fill in the required fields.
4. Define attendees, duration, and date/time. This can be set up on a repetitive schedule if it does need to occur on a regular basis.
5. At the bottom, insert specific changes by clicking the “Add Changes” button.
6. Once you have entered all the details, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the window. The CAB meeting will be scheduled, and an email invitation will be sent to all attendees.
7. On your Word Calendar, you can hover over the scheduled meeting to view details.
8. When it is time to conduct the meeting, hit the “Run Meeting” button, and Freshservice will open the CAB meeting, allowing you to walk through the changes to approve or reject within the interface.
9. After all members have reviewed each change and the meeting is over, attendees will receive a summary that will display all the results of the CAB meeting, including all the changes reviewed, any discussion notes, and any decisions made on those changes.

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