How do you evaluate your team and sponsors' readiness for change?

1 Define the change

Before you can measure your team and sponsors' readiness for change, you need to clearly define what the change is, why it is needed, what are the expected benefits and outcomes, and how it will impact the people and the organization. You can use tools such as a change vision statement, a change impact analysis, a business case, or a program charter to communicate the scope, purpose, and value of the change to your team and sponsors. You should also involve them in the change definition process as much as possible, to ensure their input and feedback are considered and incorporated.

2 Assess the readiness

Once you have defined the change, you need to assess how ready your team and sponsors are to accept and adopt it. To do this, you can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or observations to gather data and insights. Your aim should be to measure both the current state and the desired state of readiness, in order to identify any gaps or barriers that may impede the change process. Factors such as awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement should all be taken into consideration when assessing the readiness of your team and sponsors. Do they understand the change and its rationale? Do they support it? Do they have the necessary skills and resources to implement it? Are they incentivized to sustain it? Answering these questions will help you determine their level of readiness.

3 Develop the plan

Based on the results of your readiness assessment, you need to develop a plan to address any gaps or risks that may affect the success of the change. You can use tools such as a change management plan, a stakeholder engagement plan, a communication plan, a training plan, or a resistance management plan to outline the strategies, actions, and measures that you will use to increase the readiness and commitment of your team and sponsors. You should also monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of your plan, and adjust it as needed, based on feedback and data.

5 Review the outcomes

Finally, you should review the outcomes of the change and evaluate whether your team and sponsors have achieved the desired state of readiness and performance. You can use tools such as a change scorecard, a benefits realization plan, a lessons learned report, or a feedback survey to measure and report on the results and impacts of the change. You should also acknowledge and appreciate your team and sponsors for their efforts and commitment, and share the learnings and best practices for future change initiatives.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?