After the Change Initiation Review meeting has been held, the change manager circulates detailed minutes and the updated forward schedule of change to all team members. Links to the approved requests for change (RFCs) and the change log should also be provided, with a deadline for review and comments, usually before the next Change Initiation Review or change advisory board (CAB) is scheduled. Team members review these minutes and, where appropriate, send comments back to the change manager.

A Change Initiation Review Meeting Minutes template is available online at Operations Templates.

Once the go/no-go decision has been reached, the change manager communicates the decision, including any requisite committed action items, to all stakeholders for the RFC. These stakeholders include the members of the review team and representatives of the customer and user community where the RFC is going to take effect. This communication should include:

• The final decision (go or no-go).
  
• If the change is approved, confirmation of the completion of any adjustments to the RFC and the time frames for the completion of development and release.
  
• If the change is not approved, a detailed description of the reasons why, along with the next steps (such as plans for adjustments, revised dates for review, and so forth).
  

The Change Initiation Review team leader selects the mode of communication-such as e-mail, face-to-face meetings, or telephone calls-that is most effective for that organization and for the customer and user communities.

To allow all stakeholders the opportunity to plan ahead, the team lead communicates the decision well in advance of the deployment date. In the case of a no-go choice, the lead communicates the decision as soon as the decision is finalized. In the case of a go decision, the communication includes, at a minimum, a summary of:

• The changes being made, why, and when.
  
• The risks involved, and what is being done to mitigate them.
  
• The recipient's role in making the change happen, for example, approval of plans and signoff of standard build designs.
  

It is generally considered a best practice to send out two versions of the communication: one for users and customers, and another for IT personnel. This way the communication can be tailored to the targeted audience to ensure effective communication. A sample e-mail communication to IT personnel is is available online at Operations Templates.

The team lead is also responsible for coordinating the completion of any action items resulting from the Change Initiation Review meeting. This includes deciding how to proceed if action items are not completed on time or do not meet the agreed-upon completion criteria.

As already stated, if the review results in a decision to approve the change, it moves to change development, the extent of which depends on the nature of the RFC.