Launching a new product can be an exciting and challenging time for any organization. However, it can also involve significant changes in processes, roles, expectations, and culture. How can change management help you navigate these changes and ensure a successful product launch? Here are some tips to consider.
Before you launch your product, you need to have a clear and compelling vision of why you are doing it, what benefits it will bring, and how it aligns with your organizational goals and values. This vision should be communicated and shared with all stakeholders, including your employees, customers, partners, and suppliers. You should also involve them in the planning and design of the product, and solicit their feedback and input. By aligning your vision, you can create a sense of ownership, commitment, and enthusiasm for the product launch.
One of the biggest failures with product launches is that the vision is to provide access to the product. But if we are to achieve real change, which means people using our product then our vision must expand to include all elements of new ways of working. For example, by launching a new system, we need to include changes to the tasks people perform because the system has automated some tasks and created new tasks. That means establishing new quality criteria for these tasks, adding them to role descriptions for the people performing them. We might need to update the process documents for this team and write new procedures to be shared with new joiners.
My book "Leaders Are Not Prophets" is available on Amazon.com & worldwide, link is below
Change management is not an event but a process and applying it to support successful product launches is an excellent approach. Using change management methodology, product launches go through a validation process and ensure nothing is missed out.
Change manage ensures that the people critical to the launch are ready, willing, and able to make it happen ? Make sure team members understand the why - what is the products UVP. This unites them in the vision. Address resistance and stakeholder concerns early, collect feedback and act upon them. Drive a continuous and effective communication strategy from dev team to customer. Good luck!
One of the key parts in establishing a vision is engaging key stakeholders in the creation process. I use an easy facilitation tool that can be accomplished in 30-60 minutes with a team. There are 3 questions: SEE: when we're wildly successful, what does the future state look like? HEAR: what are people saying at the end of this journey? FEEL: how does it feel once we're done? By collecting inputs from the key stakeholder groups, you can rapidly establish a vision statement. Plus, there's great value in the dialogue that unfolds as you're facilitating this discussion. By engaging stakeholders in the creation process, you'll find they claim much greater ownership of it in the end.
One thing I’ve found interesting, specifically in my current role, is that often we have several “projects” launched due to need or opportunity. But the main problem is not everyone is aligned, aware of what the ask is, or simply doesn’t understand the reason why. Which ultimately our projects fail or don’t get completed. With change management, you essentially provide the vision and purpose, align the appropriate stakeholders who can contribute to project and identify/reduce the risks associated with the project which equates to successful projects completed.
Launching a new product may require your employees to learn new skills, adopt new behaviors, or work in new ways. You need to prepare them for these changes by providing adequate training, coaching, and support. You should also address any resistance or concerns they may have, and help them overcome the barriers to change. You should also recognize and reward their efforts and achievements, and celebrate the milestones and successes of the product launch. By preparing your people, you can increase their confidence, competence, and engagement.
Given that your people are your best evangelists, it's surprising how leaders fail to think about enrolling more of them in developments like new product launches. This is a golden opportunity for generating excitement, pride and enthusiasm among your rank and file. It's evidence that your company is innovative and creating value. Even employees who are not directly involved in the change or launch -- even those who are remote -- can be included in the ownership as part of the "club" that is your organization. Keeping everyone in the loop shows respect and care. In this way, product launches are amazing for building a stronger, more loyal culture -- if you use them as such.
A few lessons learned (some the hard way) from a lifetime navigating change withe teams: 1) Change fatigue is real. Pacing change is important. Give teams breathing space to adapt to & adopt before layering on the next step in your plan is critical to success. 2) Take steps to minimize/mitigate the perceived impact of change on departments & teams that are not directly involved but whose work may be impacted. Resistance from "external" parties can be a real challenge, so the more you can do to calm fears, the better. 3) Acknowledge efforts, be grateful and congratulate successes - loudly. The more you celebrate your team for their wins (and even their attempts), the harder they will work to help you succeed.
Change management, in the purest of forms, is all about people. Early engagement, regular communication, feedback mechanisms, training; all of those touch points are critical interactions that, if delivered correctly, will contribute to a successful launch. Operational readiness is often overlooked and can manifest itself with poor adoption rates, or capability issues later on. Preparing the workforce will be more successful through well structured, well designed change management processes and a clear framework. Creating a supportive culture through periods of change can be challenging. Consideration should be given to ensuring the right people are responsible for delivering quality change management support to the workforce.
I understand the importance of preparing our employees for the changes that come with launching a new product. We will ensure to provide them with the necessary training, coaching, and support to help them adapt to new skills and behaviors. Additionally, we will address any concerns and resistance, and recognize and reward their efforts to increase their confidence and engagement. We also appreciate the emphasis on aligning our vision with all stakeholders to create a sense of ownership and commitment for the product launch.
I am a firm believer of using the head, heart, hands approach from Orr to ensure products are well adopted. Often times training and communication will focus on just the head - the logical what and why. Little is done to address the heart and hands - then emotion or culture and how it makes you feel, and training and practice to be successful for a customer or team member. A balanced approach considering all three of these factors - head, heart and hands guarantees success in product launches.
Launching a new product can also involve various risks, such as technical glitches, customer complaints, market fluctuations, or competitive threats. You need to manage these risks by identifying and assessing them, and developing contingency plans and mitigation strategies. You should also monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of the product launch, and collect and analyze data and feedback. You should also be ready to adapt and adjust your plans and actions, and respond to any issues or opportunities that may arise. By managing your risks, you can improve your quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Risk management and mitigation are often neglected in projects, or at best, they are an afterthought. Teams mistakenly believe that skipping risk management will save time and expedite the planning and execution phases. However, as unplanned issues arise, the team loses days, weeks, or even months in progress. Many times, this could have been avoided by allocating a few hours a month to risk assessment and mitigation planning. Note: I have often found that Agile projects fall into this trap because there is not as much planning involved as there is in traditional waterfall project management. However, this does not mean we should skip over planning and risk management.
New product launches are a great time to generate a well thought out, simple and effective supply chain strategy. Yet many times launch teams will decide to cut and paste an existing strategy or for expediency, even if it doesn’t quite fit. Resist the urge. Take the necessary time to create a plan that will work best for this specific new product. Then evaluate critical suppliers: their shop floor management, and their supply chain processes. Identified risks and potential problems before they happen and install back up plans that can be executed quickly to minimize any impact.
Change management conducts a thorough assessment of potential risks associated with the product launch, including market competition, technological challenges, regulatory compliance, and internal resistance. Change management develops comprehensive strategies to mitigate identified risks. This may include diversifying marketing channels, securing intellectual property rights, conducting pilot tests, and establishing contingency plans.
Flexibility is key to managing risks, especially during change, and actioning only when and as necessary. You should score and classify risk into different categories through evaluation. This will help you to control the anxiety in the organization and realize interconnections in teams , especially if risks are crowd sourced from the team. An example would be if a risk is creating or impacting an immediate goal vs another drifting you from the vision - both of these will be managed very differently.
I recognize the need to identify and assess potential risks, and develop contingency plans and mitigation strategies. Additionally, we will monitor and evaluate the performance of the product launch, and be prepared to adapt and adjust our plans as necessary. We understand that by effectively managing risks, we can improve our overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Launching a new product requires constant and consistent communication with all stakeholders. You need to communicate your progress by sharing the goals, plans, and expectations of the product launch, and updating them on the status, results, and outcomes. You should also communicate your challenges by acknowledging the difficulties, uncertainties, and failures, and explaining how you are addressing them. You should also communicate your appreciation by thanking, acknowledging, and praising the contributions and achievements of all stakeholders. By communicating your progress, you can build trust, transparency, and collaboration.
In Scaled Agile Framework, the principles of communication align well with its practices. In PI planning, product management ensures alignment to the overall business by communicating the product vision, roadmap and mission. The Scrum process enhances communications among Agile Teams, where they address challenges during the team sync meetings. Iteration reviews provide a platform to update stakeholders on the status, results, and outcomes, fostering collaboration. Additionally retrospective allows for open discussions about the success achieved and areas for improvement. Overall, SAFe provides a structured approach to integrate these communication practices, reinforcing trust, transparency, and collaboration throughout the product launch
Well, I tend to agree. The important part to consider when it comes to effective communication… it is the backbone of any successful product launch. By keeping all stakeholders in the loop about scope, schedule or plans, and progress, as well as openly sharing issues, risks, challenges, and appreciation, we create a foundation of trust and transparency. This approach fosters collaboration and ultimately ensures everyone is aligned and motivated towards the fossil line of making the product launch a success. Then you rinse and repeat as you iterate on the product.
This is super key to any successful launch whether it’s a product or any other major program or project in an organisation. By communicating consistently and frequently with your stakeholders you reduce chance of failure and manage associated risks. The change is essentially managed throughout the process and not at the end when the program completes or product is delivered. It’s a form of marketing - internally to your key stakeholders that will help you succeed and give you continuous feedback along the lifecycle of the program. If you do this well half the job is done for you with word of mouth from stakeholders being a strong component of success.
Relentless advocate of the life changing difference access to opportunity can make.
Share what’s working, what needs more work, get different voices in the room sharing the updates. Do everything you can to make updates conversations rather than broadcasts. Be relentless in doing all you can to create a culture where it’s ok to ask questions and be consistent in acknowledging people who do.
Envision your progress updates as postcards from your journey. Keep your stakeholders updated with captivating snapshots, sharing not just milestones but the stories behind them. Create a sense of shared adventure.
Launching a new product is a valuable learning opportunity for your organization. You need to learn from your experience by reflecting on what worked well, what did not work well, and what can be improved for the future. You should also share your learning by documenting and disseminating the lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations from the product launch. You should also apply your learning by incorporating the feedback and insights into your ongoing operations, strategies, and innovations. By learning from your experience, you can enhance your capabilities, performance, and growth.
Change management conducts a thorough evaluation of the product launch process after its completion. This includes analyzing key metrics, gathering feedback from stakeholders, and identifying areas of success and areas for improvement. It identifies the factors that contributed to the success of the product launch, such as effective communication strategies, stakehoders or efficient project management. Understanding these success factors allows the organization to replicate them in future launches. It examines any challenges or obstacles encountered during the product launch and identifies root causes. By understanding why certain issues arose, the organization can develop strategies to prevent or mitigate similar challenges in the future.
- Implement structured feedback mechanisms to gather actionable insights from customers throughout the development and launch phases. - Prioritize customer feedback in the decision-making process, using it to guide product adjustments and enhancements. - Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging the team to view feedback as a valuable tool for innovation and growth.
- After major changes, reflect on what worked and what didn't. Find patterns in the challenges. Improve processes based on this. - Do after-action reviews with the team. Ask open-ended questions to understand experiences. Capture feedback and suggestions without getting defensive. - Track changes and metrics to reveal insights. Are adoption rates slower than expected? Use data to pinpoint problems. - Interview leaders successful at change management. What works for them to gain buy-in? Swap ideas. - Build an internal community to share change experiences, case studies, templates and advice.
While many projects include an after action report in the final / closing stage, don’t wait until then to capture lessons learned. Make this practice a habit with each phase of your project as the lessons learned during planning may be forgotten and thus lost by close out.
Learning from past experiences is integral to the improving change management practices. Conducting retrospectives after each product launch provides valuable insights into what worked well and what can be improved. This practice helps organizations and teams to evolve their methods iteratively, adapting to new challenges and ensuring that each subsequent change is more effective and efficient than the last. Continuous improvement is not just a goal but a journey that requires constant assessment and adaptation.
Change Management helps reduce and/or eliminate risks associated with quality or compliance as well as improve COGm and supply chain to ensure patients are effectively treated
Relentless advocate of the life changing difference access to opportunity can make.
Be relentless in finding ways to sense check with the team where YOU think you are on the journey is actually accurate or WAY off track! Make proactive appreciation of ‘fair shouts’ that explore alternative perspectives part of the culture. In my experience this can help a team lean into constructive challenge and a great be an antidote to ‘group think’, which is an enemy of finding ways through roadblocks to change.
The role of HR and leaders when facing change is to communicate and involve employees in the process. This includes constant communication with employees to avoid any uncertainty. Managers can help by addressing concerns and answering questions such as what is changing, why is this change important to us, what are the risks involved, and how will it impact my role and department? Additional support and involvement include training, developing policies and procedures, communicating how the culture will change, finding allies, and providing extra support and resources to those resisting change.
In my experience, launching a new product after a successful R&D if not anchored on an opportunity for new capability acquired through M&A, or distinctive capability to have an edge in a targeted market with a 2 or 3-year advantage will be a not well-thought strategy. My thinking aligns with what is happening in the vehicle industry with the advent of EVs. Looking at it from a productivity dimension, yes it seems to be a new capability, however, employing one key measure in business "turn-around and productivity" using the EV vs Combustible engine, it seems we are gearing towards an assumption that EVs are the future, this far weighing on how product experience feedback is analyzed, given some production line have been brought to a stop.
Another critical factor to consider is the number and frequency of changes affecting a specific group. When change is a constant factor, people's reactions to new changes can differ significantly compared to those who have been working in a stable environment for years. In a setting where change is frequent, individuals might become more adaptable or, conversely, experience change fatigue. In contrast, in more stable environments, even minor changes can be met with significant resistance or apprehension. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effectively managing and communicating change.