Which statement best describes the primary purpose of an impact analysis within a formal change management process?
- AIt documents the exact sequence of commands an engineer will execute on production systems during the approved maintenance window.
- BIt evaluates the technical, operational, and security consequences of a proposed change so the change advisory board can decide whether to approve it. Correct
- CIt records the names of the staff who approved the change request and the timestamps at which each approval was registered.
- DIt provides a step by step procedure for reverting the production environment if the deployed change behaves unexpectedly after go live.
Why A is wrong: This describes the implementation plan or runbook, which is a separate artefact. An impact analysis precedes the runbook and asks whether the change should be done at all, not the keystrokes used to do it.
Why B is correct: Impact analysis exists to surface dependencies, downtime, regulatory effects, and security exposure of the proposed change before approval, giving the board a defensible basis for the decision.
Why C is wrong: This is the approval log or change record, not impact analysis. Approval metadata supports accountability but does not assess the consequences of the change itself.
Why D is wrong: That is the definition of a backout plan, which is a different mandatory artefact within change management. A good backout plan does not analyse impact; it executes a return to the prior known good state.