Change Control Policy (ENG-POL-002)

1. Objective

The objective of this policy is to establish a formal process for managing all changes to [Company Name]’s production systems, applications, and infrastructure. This policy ensures that all modifications are properly authorized, tested, documented, and reviewed to maintain system stability, security, and integrity, thereby protecting sensitive data.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all workforce members involved in the development, testing, approval, and deployment of changes to any production environment. This includes all applications, source code, infrastructure-as-code configurations, and databases that support [Company Name]’s services.

3. Policy

All changes to production environments shall follow a documented process to ensure system stability, security, and auditability.

3.1 Standard Change Process

All non-emergency changes shall follow this process:

  • Planning: Changes shall be planned and documented with business justification and technical requirements.

  • Development: Code and configuration changes shall be developed in non-production environments.

  • Review: All changes shall be reviewed and approved by at least one qualified team member before production deployment.

  • Testing: Changes shall be tested to verify functionality and identify potential issues before production deployment.

  • Approval: Production deployment shall require documented approval from authorized personnel.

  • Documentation: All changes shall be documented with details of what was changed, who approved it, and when it was deployed.

3.2 Emergency Changes

Emergency changes to resolve critical issues may follow an expedited process but require:

  • Authorization: Emergency changes require approval from the [Role Title, e.g., Engineering Lead] and [Role Title, e.g., IT Manager/Security Officer].

  • Review: Peer review is still required but may be expedited to address the emergency.

  • Documentation: Emergency changes shall be fully documented within [Number, e.g., 24] hours of deployment.

  • Follow-up: A review of emergency changes shall be conducted within [Number, e.g., 3] business days to identify process improvements.

3.3 Change Documentation

All changes shall be properly documented and tracked:

  • Change Records: Each change shall have a record that includes description, justification, approver, and deployment date.

  • Version Control: Code changes shall be managed through version control systems with appropriate branching and review processes.

  • Audit Trail: Change documentation shall be maintained for audit purposes and compliance review.

3.4 Production Access Controls

Access to production systems shall be controlled and monitored:

  • Restricted Access: Production system access shall be limited to authorized personnel only.

  • Privileged Access: Administrative access to production systems shall require additional approval and monitoring.

  • Access Logging: All production system access and changes shall be logged for security monitoring.

3.5 Change Communication

Relevant stakeholders shall be notified of changes that may impact operations:

  • Internal Notification: Team members shall be notified of upcoming production changes through established communication channels.

  • Impact Assessment: Changes with potential customer impact shall be communicated to appropriate stakeholders in advance.

4. Standards Compliance

This policy is designed to comply with and support the following industry standards and regulations.

Policy Section Standard/Framework Control Reference
All SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria CC8.1 - The entity designs, develops, and implements controls over change management.

5. Definitions

  • Change: Any modification to production code, system configurations, or database content.

  • Production Environment: The live environment that serves [Company Name]’s customers and processes real data.

  • Emergency Change: A modification required to resolve a critical production issue or security vulnerability.

6. Responsibilities

Role Responsibility
Development Team Develop, test, and document changes in accordance with this policy. Conduct peer reviews.
IT Manager/Security Officer Review changes for security implications and approve emergency changes.
Engineering Lead Provide approval for production changes and authorize emergency changes.