How do you deal with system change resistance and user feedback?

Addressing sources of fear is great. For me i have found it very useful to determine what motivates the individual or group. What is the goal or ambition. When i address motivation i jump over a lot of secondary issues and address the want directly.

Key is the *nature* of the system change at hand. What is driving the change? Process improvement? Revenue expectations? Who is driving the change? Executive leadership? Technology team? Understanding the nature of the change is key to being able to communicate the need for the change to the impacted stakeholders.

No one likes being told that something is good for them, especially if they have not had any input into the design, or even know that the change is coming. Anyone who has every bought clothing for another person has experienced this. Yes they need a new shirt because the old one is worn (but to them it is comfy) Yes the colour and style are out of date (but to them it has ties to a different time or place) So what is easier? Ordering clothing repeatedly and returning it as they do not like\want it for several reasons? Or taking them shopping so they can tell you what they like and don't like: you make the choice together. There are still budget and other restrictions that you can say "No" to but that also allows you to set expectations.

When system changes impact business process and practices, end user stakeholders must be engaged in change management, requirements update, and user acceptance testing. Who better understands the ramifications of a change than the professionals who manage the workflows, processes, policies and practices that are reflected in a business information system?

Change is a journey, not a destination. Change objectives should be baked into the communication plan and must be clearly conveyed to the workforce or users. A very important feature of Change is that it cannot be measured by the number of objects getting changed. One single leadership movement can change the course of entire ship. Change is smooth, if it’s communicated well and executed together. An effective change communication plan includes - 1. Why the change? Internal or external? 2. What’s changing and what’s not? 3. Why we should change? What if we don’t? What are the rewards of change? A small change appears monolithic, if done in siloes with a broken communication.

This is no different than every other aspect in life itself. We learn to crawl, walk, run, jump, dance to build on the proficiency from the previous state. We get our driver's license in stages to get used to the different aspects of driving. We start our careers in lower level positions and work our way up. Products need to reflect the usability and the adoptability of the User.

Communicate the change clearly and concisely -- if it requires four pages of detail, it likely will not be read. Include the rationale for the change so the end user will understand why this disruption is necessary. And provide opportunities for the reader to respond with feedback or questions.

Communication is key in change management . All the stakeholders of the change will greatly benefit when its clear why there was a change , who will be impacted. What is changing . How this change will benefit the user or client or the organization as a whole is key to communicating the change . Change plan need to Identity the key performance indicators or success metrics that the change is going to bring about and define a streamlined way of measuring the success and communicating them to the all the stakeholders. Often times the actual user will be handed the new process or new system without communicating why it was changes and what are benefits let alone the monitoring or success metrics of the change ..

It is important to be a proactive change management leader. This means anticipating potential problems and taking steps to prevent them. It also means being open to feedback and making changes as needed. The final result where everything is working well is the ideal state. However, there can be early wins and challenges. Implementing change is a matter of continuous improvement. The more you can evaluate the impact and outcomes of change to stakeholders, the better buy-in you will have in the long run. The journey to success is a team effort, and it is important to involve all stakeholders in the process.