Use Case · Energy, Oil & Gas
Change Management for OT/IT Convergence
Building a change management process that spans traditional IT and operational technology (OT) systems, so changes near production and safety-critical infrastructure are controlled without grinding operations to a halt.
Where this shows up
As IT and OT converge in energy and oil & gas operations, change management built purely for corporate IT doesn’t fit. Teams either apply a heavyweight IT process to OT changes that need faster turnaround, or let OT changes bypass governance entirely because the existing process doesn’t account for maintenance windows, safety systems, or field connectivity.
How we approach it
- Define separate but connected change categories for IT, OT, and converged systems, each with governance sized to its risk.
- Align change windows to planned maintenance and turnaround schedules instead of generic IT release calendars.
- Build in safety-system and process-control sign-off steps where changes touch OT.
- Create a shared change calendar so IT and OT teams see what’s happening across both environments.
What changes
- Change governance that fits how OT and IT actually operate
- Fewer unplanned outages from uncoordinated IT/OT changes
- A single view of change activity across converged environments
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