Change Management for Project Managers: Your Confidence Guide for a Smooth Implementation!

The New Coke.

Rings a bell?

Launched in April of 1985, it didn’t take more than a couple of months for consumer opinion to turn bad. It forced the Coca-Cola Company to bring back the famous original formula.

It’s not like Coke didn’t conduct research on its part before taking such a big step.

In the 80s the ‘sweet’ as a favored taste was catching on in consumer food trends. The sweeter flavor of New Coke did pass thousands of taste tests.

Then what went wrong?

Coke missed the unstated requirements consumers felt with the brand. And thus they went about a change completely wrong way.

Here’s another story.

In 1998 Daimler-Benz AG from Germany and Chrysler Corporation from the United States of America announced a merger, which was said to be a ‘merger of equals’. By the end of 2007, Daimler-Benz sold all its shares in the Chrysler division.

What went wrong?

The shortest answer would be, they failed to manage the change.

A lot of analysis has been done to find what went wrong, and the answers have been plenty.

• Incorrect projection of intent: the “merger of equals”, according to the then CEO Jurgen Schrempp, was, in reality, a ‘PR device’ and the intention of Daimler was always an outright acquisition.
• Cultural mismatch: Mark Herndon, in his article, describes this the best: “the new executive team ripped apart the recently installed smoke detectors on the executive floor at Chrysler headquarters in Detroit so they could smoke cigars with their red wine in the evenings.” Wow!
• Leadership ambiguity: the teams needed direction and guidance which was delayed and at best ambiguous.
• It would not be a miss if we don’t mention the fact that?top talent left?both companies. Typically what happens in an M&A scenario.

No wonder that?just 34% of change initiatives succeed?in reality!

Content covered:

• What is Change Management?
• Where does change come from?
• Who is involved in implementing change from a project’s perspective?
• How is change managed?
• Summary

What is change management?

Change management, simply put, is the process of planning, managing, and implementing organizational change that helps it achieve the business strategy. It is a well-structured approach for organizations to transition?from an unfavorable current state to a favorable desired state.

The primary goal of Change Management is to make sure that the process of implementing change is well-planned, well-communicated, and flawlessly implemented.

Change management is an implicit responsibility of a project manager, and is a topic that is not often given enough importance when it comes to defining the role and responsibilities of a project manager.

Where does change come from?

This is important to understand as a project manager.?

Change is inevitable. In any growing environment, change is the only constant there is.

Organizations that manage change effectively alone stand a chance to adapt and grow as the environment changes. Sometimes the changes are voluntary, and sometimes they are forced.

PMI[1]?outlines 3 categories?of change in an organization:

• Changes from within. These are the result of changes of different types, sizes, and impacts from all the projects being implemented in the organization. Projects are agents of change because by their innate nature projects change something for the better.
• Changes that are triggered by events in the environment. For instance, a new environmental policy about disposing of waste material may necessitate a new waste management process in a fertilizer company. The changes can trigger by various sources such as social and political, legislation, changing economic scenarios, or even decisions of competitors.
• Intended changes.?These are the result of planning, execution, and control by the organization to bring in a new change.

Irrespective of where the change is triggered, the impact of it on projects must be managed by the project manager.

When the changes are intended and planned, the implementation can be systematic and well-managed, but when the change is forced by external events, the implementation can be chaotic.

Who is involved in implementing change from a project’s perspective?

This is what’s important to understand, as a project manager. There are a few important roles.

But before diving into each, we need to understand this:

Who or what is the biggest blocker to change management?

The answer is,?people.

People by their nature resist change. Thus any change implementation efforts meet success only when people are sold on the reason for the change and the benefits that the change brings to the organization, and most importantly, to them!

Now, who do you think is responsible for change management in the context of a project?

I can almost bet that your first answer was?Project Sponsor.?More so if you have been studying for the PMP exam! ??

And you would be absolutely right.

Sponsor’s responsibility does not end when she authorizes a project, assigns a project manager via a project charter, and arranges for funding.

A sponsor needs to take the important responsibility of guiding the project manager in implementing change in the project. She should be able to contribute towards bringing desired change outcomes by actively participating throughout, building coalitions, and communicating with the right people.

Figure: Change management roles in an organization. Image courtesy?prosci.com

The project manager?has the responsibility of communicating the change initiatives to the team in a way that makes them enthusiastic participants in implementing the changes successfully. It could be outlining the changes to current processes, policies, and even project and team charters.

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