220-1102 Question 677
Single answerStandard changeA help desk technician is assigned to deploy a browser configuration update to 40 office PCs. The update has been performed many times before, follows a documented step-by-step procedure, has a low risk of service interruption, and is preapproved by the organization's change management policy. The technician wants to make sure the work is handled under the correct change type and processed efficiently. Which of the following best describes how this update should be handled?
- A
Submit it as an emergency change because it affects multiple users and should be expedited
- B
Handle it as a standard change because it is routine, documented, low risk, and preapproved
- C
Classify it as a normal change because every user-impacting update requires case-by-case approval
- D
Avoid change management entirely because routine desktop updates do not need to be tracked
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best answer is to handle the update as a standard change. In IT service management practices, including guidance commonly associated with ITIL-based change enablement, a standard change is preauthorized, low risk, common, and follows a documented procedure or work instruction. This type of change is designed to improve efficiency for repeatable tasks such as approved software configuration updates, scheduled workstation maintenance, or known-good deployment actions. By contrast, a normal change usually requires individual review and approval, and an emergency change is reserved for urgent situations requiring immediate action. Even when a change is standard and preapproved, organizations should still log and track it for auditability, communication, and rollback awareness. For A+ Core 2, the key concept is recognizing that a standard change is routine, documented, low risk, and preapproved.
- A. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. An emergency change is used for urgent situations that must be implemented quickly to restore service or address a critical issue, such as a major outage or severe security incident. Although this task affects multiple users, the scenario describes a planned, repeatable update with low risk, so it does not meet the criteria for an emergency change.
- B. Correct.
This is correct. A standard change is a low-risk, well-understood, repeatable change that follows a documented procedure and is preapproved by the organization. The scenario explicitly states that the update has been performed many times before, uses a documented process, and is already covered by policy, which matches the definition of a standard change.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. A normal change is typically used for changes that require assessment, scheduling, and approval on a case-by-case basis. Someone might choose this option because the update impacts end users, but user impact alone does not make a change 'normal.' Since the change is routine, low risk, and preapproved, standard change is the more accurate classification.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Even routine changes should still be tracked according to organizational policy. A standard change is preapproved, but that does not mean it is unmanaged or undocumented. Skipping change management would reduce accountability, make troubleshooting harder, and violate common IT service management best practices.