This activity begins with the examination of the change request to determine if it can be accepted for consideration. To accept a change request all required information must be logged; omitted or incomplete information can cause a change request to be returned. The return of the change request will usually indicate that the request can be re-submitted if the missing or inadequate information is provided. After initial acceptance, the change request is categorized. Categorizing consists of identifying whether the change request fits categories such as:

• Standard change – typically pre-approved
• Normal change – requiring control using the designed, preferred Change Management process and procedures
• Exception change (such as an emergency change) – requiring Change Management control but under non-preferred circumstances

ITIL® suggests that each categorization can have an associated change model, defined as: "A repeatable way of dealing with a particular Category of Change. A Change Model defines specific pre-defined steps that will be followed for a Change of this Category. Change Models may be very simple, with no requirement for approval (e.g. Password Reset) or may be very complex with many steps that require approval (e.g. major software Release)."

Finally, the change request is assigned to the appropriate roles, functions or teams, to evaluate the change.

• Change requests that are out of scope or not within policy are rejected. In these cases, the submitter might be guided to present their request as a new requirement.
• Standard changes are sent for implementation.
• The remaining RFCs are marked for assessment, and routed according to their content and categorization.