Change Management: Navigating the Path Forward

So often in our lives, we achieve remarkable milestones and keep pushing on in a never-ending chase for the elusive big one. Sometimes, we need to stop and realise that we have grown, learnt, and achieved something good, maybe great.

In a recent job sift question, I was asked to write about a major project that I managed from start to finish. I was also asked to enumerate the steps taken and the project's outcome.

After I had written and submitted it, I realised that I had done something great.

Read below how I got into Change Management and Project Management

One notable project I led was a recent change of the Job scheduling and Manpower management application at [Information Redacted] for a new product. The objective was to seamlessly transition from one Job scheduling and manpower platform that we had identified as limited in its capabilities to the demand and expectation of our clients to a new well-tailored and personalised application with as minimal teething challenges across the board as possible.

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Situation:

The management team of [Information Redacted] had decided to change the Job scheduling and Manpower management application of the firm to one that is better suited for the firm's purposes. Our company was going through a growth phase new contracts had been acquired and what was hitherto viewed as small cracks in the previous application was suddenly magnified and threatening the overall capability of the firm to satisfy its customers. The change and the new application required input and coordination from several units within the firm that would be using it such as Human resources and Payroll, Control Room, Mobile response teams, team leaders and team members.

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Task:

I was the key person responsible for leading the project from conception to execution. Thus, I was immersed in a two-week train-the-trainer program that covered every area of the application. To execute this effectively within the required narrow timeline, I developed a detailed project plan, coordinated cross-functional teams, and ensured every element of the project aligned with our strategic objectives.

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Action:

After my immersive 2-week Train-The-Trainer training and the personalization of key areas of the application that I highlighted during the training process, I immediately began by mapping out the entire change timeline and breaking it down into smaller, manageable tasks using a Gant chart and my favourite project management and collaboration tool [Information Redacted]. Each task was assigned to team members based on their area of knowledge and expertise, and clear deadlines were established. I scheduled regular progress meetings with the back-of-office team to monitor the status of each task assigned, address any emerging challenges, and adjust plans as necessary. While this was ongoing, I started an engagement campaign with the team leaders and the front-of-house operations staff. I started also an email and SMS campaign detailing key aspects of the new application and where various resources would be found in the app as against the one in existence. I also set up a shared dashboard for real-time tracking of key performance indicators. This extensive communication and engagement as well as the built-in prompt I requested from the app developers at the design stage helped to paper over the challenges with incomplete profiles and documentation that had plagued the old system. At every stage, we could see the operatives who hadn't finished their documentation on the dashboard and the operatives were receiving SMS and email prompts. A few days before the cutover date, we intensified the pressure with robocalls reminding them to complete their profiles on the new app.

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Result:

Over three days to the cutover date, we achieved 100% profile completion and app adoption. we had also effectively completed app testing as the shifts the field operatives were attending to in the two weeks leading up to the cut-off date were available on the two apps (the old and the new). In that two-week cutover window, we were able to capture and rehearse all the possible scenarios at the back end as regards payroll, attendance, incidence reporting and control duties. This project not only demonstrated the effectiveness of meticulous planning and team collaboration but also reinforced the value of adaptive management in achieving ambitious business outcomes.