ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
A change request to upgrade the email server is assessed and authorized by the Change Advisory Board (CAB). After testing, it is scheduled for the next weekend. What type of change is this?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Normal change
Normal changes require assessment and authorization by the CAB, unlike standard (pre-approved) or emergency (urgent) changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Emergency change
Why it's wrong here
An emergency change is specifically designed to address critical incidents or urgent issues that are causing significant service degradation or outage, requiring immediate action to restore normal operation. While an email server upgrade is important, it is a planned enhancement, not a reactive measure to an unforeseen failure. Therefore, it does not fit the criteria for an emergency change, which prioritizes speed over full assessment due to the immediate threat to service availability.
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Normal change
Why this is correct
A normal change is the standard process for implementing significant modifications to services or service components that are not pre-approved as standard changes or necessitated by an emergency. This type of change requires thorough assessment of risks and benefits, detailed planning, and formal authorization by a designated Change Authority or Change Advisory Board (CAB). An email server upgrade, involving potential service disruption and requiring careful coordination, perfectly aligns with the structured governance provided by a normal change process.
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Service request
Why it's wrong here
A service request is a formal user request for something routine, such as information, advice, access to a service, or a pre-defined standard change. It is typically fulfilled through a standardized, often automated, process without requiring extensive assessment or formal change authorization. An email server upgrade, however, represents a substantial modification to an existing IT service, necessitating a comprehensive change management process rather than simple request fulfillment.
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Standard change
Why it's wrong here
A standard change is a pre-approved, low-risk modification that follows a documented procedure, such as applying a routine security patch. This scenario fails because the email server upgrade requires assessment and authorisation by the CAB, which is not part of a standard change’s pre-approved workflow. It is tempting because standard changes are often used for scheduled, low-risk updates, and the weekend scheduling might suggest a routine activity; however, the CAB’s involvement explicitly places this as a normal change.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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