Change is inevitable in any project, but it can also be challenging, disruptive, and stressful for the project team and stakeholders. How do you facilitate change in your project without compromising the quality, scope, budget, and timeline? In this article, you will learn some practical tips and techniques to manage change effectively and smoothly in your project leadership role.
The first step to facilitate change in your project is to understand the nature, source, and impact of the change. Is it a minor adjustment or a major overhaul? Is it driven by internal or external factors? How does it affect the project objectives, deliverables, resources, and risks? You need to gather as much information as possible about the change and analyze it objectively and critically. You also need to communicate the change clearly and transparently to the project team and stakeholders, and explain why it is necessary and beneficial.
Early and good communication to all stakeholders is essential in change management. The source of change resistance can often be a lack of communication, for example if a stakeholder was informed too late or too little. Therefore make sure that communication is open and be pro-active.
Start by understanding the need, especially by listening to and learning from stakeholders in the closest proximity to the need any change will address. These stakeholders will likely be required to implement the change and be able to provide more immediate and practical feedback on the process. Learning from stakeholders in front-line positions will also help to identify necessary resources, including resources that are already present in and among the stakeholder team.
Communication regarding the change is transparent and consistent, regardless of who is communicating. Executives considered several options before initiating the change and were able to explain that this is the best one. Leaders believe in it and the people have confidence and trust in the people leading this change. People should have the opportunity to influence decisions and to express their concerns about the proposed change. When people feel like they are an active part of the change, they are given the resources/training – such people will be motivated to support the new situation. Ensuring that mistakes will be viewed as a learning opportunity and that people`s contribution will be recognized, will make people advocate for change.
What I find helpful is to build a mechanism into the project from the outset, which identifies stakeholders, risks and a communication cadence and practice that facilitate transparency and communication. With these, you can have the right perspectives in understanding the change requirements and formulating the appropriate approach.
Since “change is the only constant”, our posture as leaders should be one that recognizes and accepts the likelihood of shifting goalposts, shrinking budgets, sudden resignations, and expanding scopes. The first step is to ‘build change’ into the project. I facilitate regular conversations with my team, where I communicate strategic updates and involve them in charting the next steps. Admittedly, some of these changes can be significant, in which case I assure them I will continue to keep the conversation open and involve them in decision-making.
The second step to facilitate change in your project is to assess the readiness and willingness of the project team and stakeholders to accept and adopt the change. Change can trigger different reactions and emotions, such as resistance, fear, anger, confusion, or enthusiasm. You need to identify and address the potential barriers and concerns that may hinder the change process, and also leverage the positive influences and opportunities that may support it. You can use various tools and methods to measure and improve the change readiness, such as surveys, interviews, workshops, training, coaching, and feedback.
Usually conflicts and misunderstandings are coming from situations when everyone says “That’s not my work”. And complex problems often have their roots in different places. Good practice is to start reminding of common aims and showing how the work of one can help other parts of team.
By gauging stakeholders feelings toward the change, you identify risks to the change both positive and negative. It is through training and coaching and transparency of the change that we help improve buy-in with stakeholders. A stakeholder register would help in determining the level of influence as well to those that support or reject the change. Collaboration with the stakeholders using workshops also allows for those that early adopters to the change to potentially convert dinosaurs (those staying with status quo or rejecting the change), to the change.
In my experience, gauging team and stakeholder readiness is crucial. Embrace feedback, engage in open dialogue, and tailor your approach accordingly. It's a key part of successful change management.
The third step to facilitate change in your project is to plan the transition from the current state to the desired state. You need to define the scope, goals, activities, roles, and responsibilities of the change process, and align them with the project plan. You also need to establish the metrics, milestones, and checkpoints to monitor and evaluate the progress and outcomes of the change. You need to involve the project team and stakeholders in the planning process, and ensure that they understand and agree on the expectations and deliverables of the change.
To see the first step to start and the results of your work is one of the best motivation techniques. There are lots of instruments to improve your work such way: kanban, online boards, sprints, back-logs, block-schemes and so on. Sometimes it helps to see bottlenecks of the problem.
Usually in project management the term baseline is used to define the commitment to resources, scope and timelines. Project change requests allow you to document the details and impact of the change around new milestone dates, new deliverables, additional resources. In my experience to ensure agreement on the change, you need to obtain buy-in and approval from the sponsor, the business lead, technical lead, project manager, business engagement partner, authorized individual for financial resource allocation (ie. funding control tower) and the vendor. This approval could be on both the project change request as well as the new established baselines to confirm commitment.
When planning the transition it is helpful to re-evaluate if there are any negative (or positive) downstream effects from the change. In my experience, small, but important details that may have been overlooked earlier appear during the planning stage. Your stakeholders are your greatest ally in seeing the change from multiple perspectives and planning the transition. Listening to them can help avoid issues later on.
Planning the transition is akin to charting a course through uncharted waters. While the destination might be clear, the journey to get there can be filled with unforeseen challenges. From my experience, flexibility is paramount during this phase. While it's essential to have a detailed plan, it's equally crucial to be prepared to adapt that plan based on real-time feedback and evolving circumstances. Additionally, I've found that celebrating small wins along the way can boost morale and keep the momentum going. Even if a milestone is minor, acknowledging it can provide the team with a sense of accomplishment and motivation to tackle bigger challenges.
The fourth step to facilitate change in your project is to implement the action plan and execute the change activities. You need to manage the change as a sub-project within your main project, and apply the same principles and practices of project management, such as scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and communication. You also need to provide adequate support and guidance to the project team and stakeholders during the change implementation, and address any issues or challenges that may arise. You need to celebrate the achievements and successes of the change, and recognize and reward the contributions and efforts of the change agents.
From my product management experience, executing the action plan is where change takes shape. It's crucial to integrate change seamlessly into your project, applying project management rigor. Also, continuous support and acknowledgment boost morale, driving change forward.
The audit of available solutions is the first action for not to duplicate instruments and not to cause disconnect with project team. Also theory and practice say that there should be skills, enthusiasm and authority to work together. Without any of these elements your project risks to get stuck or to reborn into a formalism.
Depending on the size of the change, utilizing a change management framework (e.g., ADKAR, Harvard Business Review, PMI, etc.) can be helpful. Following best practices that others have tested and published is an excellent way to increase your likelihood of success.
The fifth step to facilitate change in your project is to review the results and outcomes of the change. You need to measure and compare the actual performance and benefits of the change against the planned objectives and indicators. You also need to collect and analyze the feedback and lessons learned from the project team and stakeholders, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the change process. You need to document and share the findings and recommendations of the change review, and suggest any improvements or adjustments that may be needed.
Collecting statistics, visualization and confirmation of your forecasts and plans is the best instrument to encourage as your team, as stakeholders. In my practice there was a case, when I was first to implement KPI-elements in R&D process and it was marvelous to see and to show the accordance of plans and results.
The sixth and final step to facilitate change in your project is to sustain the improvement and ensure that the change is embedded and integrated into the project and the organization. You need to reinforce and consolidate the new behaviors, practices, and processes that resulted from the change, and prevent any backsliding or regression to the old ways. You also need to monitor and control the ongoing performance and benefits of the change, and make any necessary corrections or enhancements. You need to communicate and celebrate the value and impact of the change, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Transparency is crucial whether you are a member of a transformation office or in any change project. Regular communication with all stakeholders, leadership, and team members is necessary to ensure that everyone is aware of what is important, what adds value, and what doesn't. Seeking feedback and insights is also important so that everyone can be a part of managing any new changes that may arise. In doing so, you can create a safe environment for all, providing calm during any potential upheavals.
Assess the need for change, its impact, and benefits. Create a change plan, communicate the change clearly to stakeholders, and provide necessary training. Offer support channels for queries and concerns. Monitor the change implementation, adjust as necessary based on feedback, and review the process post-implementation for future improvements. Effective communication and support are key to facilitating smooth transitions in your project.
Projects and programs are more than sprints or contracts or phases; projects and programs are collections of different groups of individuals working together as one entity to achieve specific outcomes / goals. Involve and include, do not dictate. Being clear, honest, respectful, and approachable are essential for successfully managing and leading change successfully.
Change is inevitable when working on projects. Projects are creating something new and therefore have unavoidable unknown factors. However, some changes lead to scope creep rather than scope discovery. If the change is clarifying the scope, or re-directing the project to better fit the needs of the customer, that is scope discovery and is great for the project. If the change is adding gold plating or unnecessary features, and is adding more work without clear added value, it is scope creep. In my experience, avoiding scope creep can make or break a project!