Who changed that column?
On Tuesday a monthly sales report shows odd numbers. The analyst asks: who changed something last week?
Nobody knows. There is no record. It takes three days to find the fault, a column that was renamed.
A good change leaves a trail, and a safe way back.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Requirement | something the new system must do |
| Traceability | being able to follow a change back to who asked, who agreed and who did it |
| Accountability | being the person who answers for a job |
| Rollback | putting a system back to how it was before a change |
| Backup | a spare copy of data kept in case the original is lost |
| Recovery plan | the steps to follow to get a system working again |
| Version control | keeping every version of a file so an old one can be restored |
| Post progress review | a meeting after a change to see how it went |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can say what a change record, a rollback plan and a review must contain.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Document the change process
Every change leaves records.
Requirement traceability: each need can be followed to a decision, with the person responsible and the person accountable.
Keep information up to date. Record all decisions and retain the change documents. Write user training manuals, so users know how to use the new system.
What each record is for
| Record | What it holds | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Change request | What, why, who asked, when | Shows the reason for the change |
| Decision log | Who approved it and why | Shows who is accountable |
| Change plan | Steps, dates, people | Shows who is responsible for each step |
| Test results | What was tried and what happened | Proves the change was checked |
| User training manual | How to use the new system | Helps users start well |
| Archive of documents | All the above, kept safe | Helps with the next problem or an audit |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
A change log you can query
-- Who made changes, and how many?
SELECT done_by, COUNT(*) AS changes
FROM change_log
GROUP BY done_by
ORDER BY changes DESC;Check: records
Have a go
Check: records
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.