Change management is another example of an ITIL-based process which can be significantly improved by the application of DevOps practices. Change management is often implemented in ways which fly in the face of key principles of DevOps. Traditional implementations put multiple layers of approval in place for every change, inserting significant bureaucracy and gates which almost guarantee longer release cycles and delays in getting value to the customer. This fundamentally contradicts the DevOps emphasis of short release cycles and the rapid delivery of value to customers.
However, there can be little argument that tracking changes in a technical environment can be highly valuable. Especially in large environments where many different changes are occurring at the same time, it is critical to have visibility into what is changing and how those changes might impact one another and, ultimately, the end customer. By bringing DevOps principles to bear on change management we can ensure we are tracking and managing changes while enabling speed and agility.