220-1102 Question 678
Single answerNormal changeA technician needs to replace the network switch that serves an accounting department. The replacement will require a 20-minute outage during business hours, and the accounting manager is concerned because payroll processing is scheduled for the same afternoon. The technician has already documented the implementation steps, backout plan, and expected impact. According to standard IT change-management practices, what should happen NEXT before the work is performed?
- A
Submit the change for review and approval through the organization's normal change process before scheduling the work
- B
Perform the replacement immediately because the technician has a backout plan and has documented the risk
- C
Classify the work as an emergency change because it affects a critical business department
- D
Treat the switch replacement as a standard change because hardware replacements are routine tasks
- E
Ask the accounting manager for verbal approval and proceed without formal change review
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario tests understanding of normal change within IT change management, a topic aligned with A+ Core 2 operational procedures. A normal change is a planned change that is not preapproved and therefore must be reviewed, assessed for risk and impact, approved, and scheduled before implementation. The documented implementation steps and backout plan are appropriate preparation, but the next step is formal submission through the organization's change-control process. By contrast, standard changes are preauthorized, low-risk, and repeatable, while emergency changes are expedited because delay would cause unacceptable harm. This approach aligns with widely used IT service management best practices, including change enablement concepts described in frameworks such as ITIL, where normal changes require assessment and authorization before execution.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A normal change is a non-preapproved change that must go through formal review, risk assessment, approval, and scheduling before implementation. In this scenario, the work is planned, has business impact, and is not an immediate break-fix emergency. Because it can affect payroll operations, the organization should review the request, assess timing, and approve an appropriate maintenance window before the technician performs the replacement.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Documentation and a backout plan are important parts of change control, but they do not replace formal authorization. Proceeding without approval bypasses the safeguards of the normal change process and increases the risk of business disruption, especially during a sensitive period such as payroll processing.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. An emergency change is typically reserved for urgent situations that must be addressed immediately to restore service or prevent major harm, such as a critical outage or active security incident. This scenario describes planned replacement work, not an unplanned emergency requiring expedited handling.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A standard change is usually a low-risk, repeatable, preapproved task with a well-defined procedure, such as routine password resets or approved software deployments. Replacing a department's production switch during business hours with known service interruption and business risk generally requires case-by-case review, making it a normal change rather than a standard one.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Business stakeholder input is useful, but verbal approval from a department manager is not a substitute for the formal change-management workflow. Normal changes generally require documented review and authorization so that technical, operational, and business risks are properly evaluated.