15 Best Change Management Tools for modern IT teams in 2024

If there’s one thing that’s true about IT environments, it’s that they are highly interconnected and can get complicated and chaotic quickly. Just one unplanned or poorly implemented change can send everything crashing down like a house of cards. No wonder, organizations are turning to specialized IT change management platforms to automate and simplify the change process.

What is IT change management software?

An IT change management platform helps organizations systematically manage changes to their IT systems with workflows, approval processes, and impact assessments, so changes—whether they involve software updates or infrastructure modifications—are made in a structured and controlled manner. For IT teams, using a change management software translates to:

• Granular IT visibility: Change management tools provide centralized visibility into all changes across the IT environment, so teams can track the status of requests, assess their impact, identify potential conflicts, and improve response times even if the change strikes at the last moment as an emergency.
• 24/7 reporting: Generate regular reports on change success rates, incidents caused by changes, and overall process efficiency by change management tools to inform decision-making and prioritize process improvements.
• Improved project success: Did you know that teams with structured change management are seven times more likely to wrap up projects on time and within budget? Structured change management thrives on good planning, open communication, and solid stakeholder engagement—everything you need for a winning IT project.  
• 360-degree risk assessment: An IT change management tool comes with a risk scoring system to map the potential impact and likelihood of disruptions associated with each change request, and minimize downtime while deploying a stable IT environment.

Here’s a look at 15 of the best change management tools that meet the needs of modern IT teams.

1. Atomicwork

Atomicwork is your go-to platform for AI-powered IT service management, bringing change, incident, asset, and configuration management into a single, user-friendly interface. Whether it's setting up approval policies or tracking all your past and present changes, Atomicwork keeps your IT operations cost-effective and people-centric.

Key features:

• Central hub for change communication– approvals, notes, and discussions–  to make communication around changes easier to manage.
• All-in-one change management to manage various types of changes, from software updates to emergency patches, all within Atomicwork.
• Workflow automation for routine tasks so agents can focus on more business-critical tasks
• Risk assessment forms for CAB that offer all the necessary information for informed change decisions.
• Customizable pre-defined change templates that streamline routine change requests and maintain consistency across the board.
• Self-service at the user level right from Slack, MS Teams, and other go-to communication channels
• ITIL-compliant change management processes

Trusted by global names like Ammex Corp and Catalyst Education, it’s built to save costs and improve how your team handles IT change management.

It is every organization's dream of having a centralized, intelligent, and effective service management platform that can be applied universally across all business functions. Atomicwork, through Atom, achieves not only that but also introduces state-of-the-art AI technology that will revolutionize how organizations work and search for information. - Syachfri Tjhia, Head of IT, Catalyst Education

2. Autotask PSA

Autotask PSA by Datto is the cloud-based change management platform you need for maximum profitability. It offers real-time metrics that let you monitor everything from customer-side changes to internal operations and resource management.

Key features:

• Variety of viewing options to stay on top of the progress of any change.
• Shared calendars with in-built chat functionality  
• Post-implementation review tools to track and analyze the change outcomes and create introspective learnings

3. BMC Helix

A flexible change management platform, BMC Helix comes with a customizable change management framework for teams to tailor their IT processes for specific use cases like software deployment, network configuration, and security updates.

Key features:

• Change calendar views to visualize the timing and overlap of changes for resolving resource conflicts
• API library for easier integration with third-party tools and services.
• Multi-cloud change management from a single platform

4. ChangeGear

Serviceaide ChangeGear is a smart, cloud-native IT change management platform that’s designed to grow with your business and deliver modern, efficient service experiences. For a change, it is also certified by 12 ITIL processes.

Key features:

• Advanced reporting for change management metrics to track success rates, delays, and impact.
• Automated approvals based on a 'change success score'
• Scheduled change reminders to notify stakeholders and approvers of upcoming deadlines, preventing delays.

5. Freshservice

Freshservice by Freshworks is a unified cloud-based ITSM platform with change incident management capabilities and role-based access control.

Key features:

• Drag-and-drop change workflow designer to create and modify change workflows using no/low code.
• SLA-driven change approvals for operational efficiency, and minimal backlogs
• Granular visibility into risky assets by integrating the service desk with inventory management

6. Invgate

InvGate, chosen by names like PwC and Collins Aerospace, delivers a highly customizable no-code change management platform. With features like an AI-driven virtual agent and a robust service desk, it's known for ease of adoption and data-driven change visualization.

Key features:

• Visual change impact maps to visualize the impact of changes on IT environment
• Ready-made risk scoring based on historical data to evaluate the likelihood of change
• Integrated IT governance tools to ensure changes align with the organization's broader IT strategy and compliance needs.
• AI chatbot for assistance

7. Issuetrak

With a structured workflow for change requests, Issuetrak enables users to assess risks and manage changes for more than 470 IT teams so they can run disruption-free. Its focus on efficiency and automation makes it a popular choice for organizations seeking to reduce the time and cost associated with change management.

Key features:

• Change prioritization based on business impact to ensure mission-critical changes are handled with the appropriate resources and urgency.
• Branching workflows to auto-assign tasks to users and check off completed steps as they go.
• Built-in change risk analysis engine to quantify and mitigate risks
• Automated email notifications to keep end users informed

8. Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is an agile-oriented ITSM platform that supports DevOps teams in managing changes. Its tight integration with Jira makes it a favorite for software-driven environments.

Key features:

• Integration with Jira issue to keep an eye on changes while tracking software bugs, development tasks, and project milestones—all in one place.
• Autonomous change approvals linked to CI/CD pipelines to streamline the deployment of changes during development cycles.
• Change advisory board (CAB) management with role-based approvals to ensure all major changes are properly governed and reviewed before moving forward.

9. ManageEngine

ManageEngine by ServiceDesk is a robust, ITIL-ready help desk software used by 100,000 organizations globally, and is known for its ease of setup and full integration, requiring minimal customization to get up and running.

Key features:

• Mobile application to access change management features on the go and reduce response times.
• Change history logs with detailed records of all changes for compliance
• API and integrations  

10. Micro Focus

Micro Focus by Opentext is a no-code change management platform that connects all disparate data sources. It gives you a complete 360-degree view of your IT systems, making it easier to manage everything in one place.

Key features:

• Real-time data synchronization so all data related to change requests is updated in real-time across all connected systems.
• Change advisory board (CAB) management to configure and enforce multi-level change governance.
• Unified audit trail tracks changes in highly regulated industries for compliance and governance

11. ServiceNow

ServiceNow is an enterprise-level ITSM platform designed for large organizations with complex IT environments. One of the standout features is how it helps cut down on alert fatigue—it only sends you notifications when you're the direct approver, so you won't get bogged down by unnecessary alerts.

Key features:

• Real-time change tracking dashboards to monitor all, end-to-end change requests
• 24/7, omnichannel customer support including site configuration and support training
• Multi-level approval workflows that adapt to organizational hierarchies
• In-built conflict detection helps spot any scheduling or technical conflicts between changes before they happen.
• Multimodal change for change managers to easily customize change activities and workflows based on business and team use cases

12. SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds Service Desk is a lightweight, user-friendly change management platform suitable for SMBs. It balances simplicity and functionality and comes with hassle-free scheduling for your change windows and blackout times.

Key features:

• Turnkey notifications keep agents and end users informed about change-related events.
• Integrated CMDB for asset tracking to ensure changes are mapped with relevant assets and oversight is reduced.
• ITIL-aligned change catalog

13. SysAid

SysAid is a full-service ITSM platform built to automate IT change management and comes with in-app guidance, and deep knowledge integrations, and a centralized compliance tracker.

Key features:

• Pre-configured change request and approval workflows that route requests to approvers without manual intervention
• Risk assessment and impact analysis allow IT teams to predict risks with impacts before implementing changes
• Integration with SysAid ITSM for problem and knowledge management from disparate sources

14. TeamDynamix

Last year, TeamDynamix snagged an 'Honorable Mention' in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for ITSM, speaking to the platform’s change management capabilities. With its intuitive interface and integration with other TeamDynamix products, it’s no wonder so many organizations are turning to it for a complete ITSM solution.

Key features:

• Change rollback automation to revert failed changes quickly, minimizing downtime and preventing extended service outages.
• Visual change workflow builder for non-technical users to design change processes
• Risk evaluation based on past deployment history

15. TOPdesk

TOPdesk is a workplace change management solution designed to help leaders easily manage organizational change. It’s built for leaders who want to streamline organizational change, cut costs, and get a clearer picture of employee feedback—all within a single, easy-to-use platform.

Key features:

• Change simulator to test out potential changes
• People-related risk assessment
• Change budget calculator

How to choose the right IT change management tool?

Choosing the right IT change management tool isn’t a one-size-fits-all process since each organization has its own ITSM needs and preferences. That said, there are some key factors to keep in mind:

1. Integration with existing IT ecosystem

Your IT environment likely involves multiple tools across different teams—DevOps, cloud management, CI/CD pipelines, security, and monitoring systems. The right change management tool should fit in —not disrupt—your existing IT workflows. But let’s say the integrations aren’t up to par. In that case, you’ll want to consider how much time it’ll take to train your team and whether you’ll need to build custom APIs. Will it be a simple plug-and-play solution that you can set up yourself within a few hours, or will it still require a programmer for deployment? If the effort outweighs the benefits, it might be time to keep looking for a better fit.

2. In-depth risk and impact analysis

One of the biggest concerns with changes in IT environments is unintended consequences. Your tool should help you foresee the ripple effects of changes across your infrastructure, applications, and services. Think about it: if you're planning a change to your database in a large global organization, the last thing you want is to accidentally disrupt other connected systems. This is where the right change management tool will help you visualize how your proposed changes will impact everything from your CRM to your customer-facing applications. By getting this insight, you can avoid outages and performance issues that often come from well-meaning changes.

3. AI-powered automation

Look for change management tools that automate not just the approval process but also risk assessments, change deployments, and rollbacks. In large enterprises, where hundreds of changes might be happening every month, Atomicwork’s AI assistant, Atom, can evaluate the risk of proposed changes based on pre-defined parameters, and fast-track low-risk changes while flagging high-risk ones for further review. The end goal should be to create speedy change lifecycle that work for you, not the other way around.

4. Compliance and audit-readiness

Being audit-ready at all times is a non-negotiable for most enterprises. You need a tool that captures and stores all change-related information, providing detailed, time-stamped audit trails. This way, when auditors come calling, you have everything—from change requests to approvals—documented in one place.

Choosing a change management tool isn’t a decision you should hurry. Look for an all-in-one ITSM platform that has built-in features for change, asset, incident, and problem management. You’ll want something that automatically approves change requests, provides AI-driven change reports, schedules migrations for off-peak hours, and even addresses post-migration issues—all while keeping notes for future projects. This one-stop shop is like having a toolbox where every tool fits just right, enabling IT management and improved team productivity. Try Atomicwork today to watch your change success rate soar!