How can you evaluate change impact on people?

1 Identify the change drivers

The first step to evaluate change impact on people is to understand why the change is happening and what are the goals and benefits of the change. This will help you to communicate the change vision and rationale to your audience and align them with the change direction. You can use a change driver analysis to identify the internal and external factors that are influencing the need for change, such as market trends, customer demands, competitors, regulations, technology, or organizational strategy. You can also use a SWOT analysis to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the current and future state.

2 Assess the change readiness

The next step is to evaluate how ready and willing your people are to embrace the change and what are the potential barriers and risks that might hinder the change adoption. You can use a change readiness assessment to measure the level of awareness, understanding, commitment, and capability of your people to support the change. You can also use a stakeholder analysis to identify the key individuals and groups that are affected by or can influence the change, and their level of interest, power, and attitude towards the change. This will help you to prioritize your communication and engagement efforts and address any concerns or resistance.

3 Analyze the change impact

The third step is to analyze how the change will affect the roles, responsibilities, processes, systems, and culture of your people and what are the gaps and opportunities that need to be addressed. You can use a change impact analysis to identify the scope, scale, and complexity of the change and how it will impact different aspects of your organization, such as strategy, structure, operations, performance, or behavior. You can also use a gap analysis to compare the current and future state and determine what actions and resources are needed to close the gap and achieve the desired outcomes.

4 Develop the change plan

The fourth step is to develop a comprehensive and realistic plan to implement the change and ensure its sustainability and success. You can use a change management plan to outline the objectives, scope, timeline, budget, roles, responsibilities, activities, and metrics of the change project. You can also use a change communication plan to define the key messages, channels, frequency, and feedback mechanisms of your change communication strategy. You can also use a change training plan to design the learning objectives, content, methods, and evaluation of your change training program.

5 Monitor and evaluate the change

The final step is to monitor and evaluate the progress and performance of the change and make any adjustments or improvements as needed. You can use a change dashboard to track and report the key indicators and milestones of the change project and how they align with the overall goals and benefits. You can also use a change evaluation to measure the effectiveness and impact of your change management efforts and how they have influenced the behavior and outcomes of your people. You can also use a change feedback to collect and analyze the opinions and suggestions of your people and stakeholders and incorporate them into your change improvement plan.

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?