A change advisory board just approved a change request. Which of the following is the MOST likely next step in the change process?

The change management process follows a structured workflow. After a change request is formally approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB), the next logical step is to communicate this decision and the implementation plan to all relevant stakeholders. This communication ensures that all affected parties, including end-users and technical teams, are aware of the impending change, its schedule, and any potential impact. This step precedes the actual technical implementation, such as testing or deployment.

A. End user acceptance: This occurs after the change has been implemented and deployed to verify that it meets the users' requirements and functions correctly.
B. Perform risk analysis: Risk analysis is a critical input for the CAB's decision-making process and is therefore completed before the change request is approved.
D. Sandbox testing: This is part of the implementation and testing phase, which happens after the change has been approved and communicated to stakeholders.

1. CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1102) Exam Objectives, Version 4.0, Section 4.5, "Given a scenario, implement operational procedures." This section outlines the components of change management, implying a logical sequence where planning and approval (informed by risk analysis) precede implementation and end-user acceptance. Communication is an integral part of planning the change deployment.

2. University of Washington, UW-IT Service Management, "Change Management Process & Procedures," Section: Process Flow Diagram. The official process diagram shows that the "Authorize Change" phase, which includes CAB approval, is immediately followed by activities within the "Coordinate Change Implementation" phase, starting with communication and scheduling.

3. Purdue University, Information Technology Department, "Change Management," Process Overview. The documented process states: "Once a change is approved, the Change Manager will work with the requester to schedule and communicate the change." This explicitly places communication directly after approval.