Ensuring Alignment: 4 Key Questions for Project Teams at the Onset of Change

Ever found yourself in a situation where asking different leaders or project team members about a change resulted in seemingly different explanations? To foster team alignment and maintain consistent messaging, have your project teams collaboratively tackle these four questions early after team formation:

Does this change support a strategic initiative, continuous improvement, product development, or compliance?

• Purpose: Clearly show how the project aligns with the company's needs, be it a strategic initiative, continuous improvement, product development, or compliance. Avoid technical jargon and acronyms.
• Example Response: This change project is in support of a larger strategic initiative to improve safety, quality, employee engagement, operational efficiencies and throughput by implementing Lean standard practices across the entire organization.

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How will the change benefit employees, the business, and customers?

• Purpose: Define the high-level benefits of the change, considering the impact on employees, business, and customers. We start with employees because they must adopt a change before the business and customers will benefit. You may want to consider positive impacts on safety, quality, delivery, cost, morale, and environmental factors. Work to craft responses that appeal to both logic and emotion.
• Example Response: Employees will experience less frustration because they will be able to find tools and materials when they need them. They will be able to get more work done in less time with fewer safety incidents while maintaining quality.

What are the risks associated with not changing?

• Purpose: Identify the risks linked to maintaining the status quo. Consider negative impacts on safety, quality, delivery, cost, morale, and environmental factors.
• Example Response: Risk include continuing to miss cycle-time, Increased tension between shifts and lack of employee engagement/satisfaction. We will continue to struggle with employee retention and an inability to meet customer demand.

Why is now the right time to change?

• Purpose: Highlight the opportunities, factors, or pressures that make the current moment ideal for change.
• Example Response: Organizational leaders are actively endorsing the widespread adoption of lean processes, providing us with both the direction and resources necessary to initiate and sustain this change.

Collaboratively answering these questions not only ensures alignment within the project team but also lays the foundation for core messaging in your engagement strategy. As the process unfolds, be prepared to refine and tailor these messages for specific audiences.

In closing, let's remember that effective change management begins with a shared understanding and purpose. By asking these fundamental questions early on, we pave the way for a smoother and more successful change journey. Here's to aligned teams and impactful change!

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