How does change management positively impact incident management?

Change management positively impacts incident management primarily by ensuring thorough checks before changes are made. This process involves a structured approach for introducing changes into the IT environment, which includes planning, testing, and reviewing changes before they are implemented. By requiring thorough checks and approvals, change management helps to minimize the risk of incidents caused by changes that were poorly executed or not fully vetted.

When changes are carefully considered and monitored, potential issues or conflicts can be identified and resolved in advance, thus reducing the likelihood of incidents after the changes are applied. In this way, effective change management practices contribute to a more stable IT environment, supporting a smoother operation and improving the overall response and handling of incidents as they arise.

The other options, while they may relate to system operations, do not directly connect to the proactive measures that change management brings to incident management. Limiting user access (option A) can enhance security but does not specifically address the relationship between change and incident management. Documenting past incidents (option C) is important for learning and improvement, but it is reactive rather than proactive in preventing future incidents. Scheduling regular downtime (option D) can be necessary for maintenance but does not inherently improve incident management unless associated with well-planned changes.