Measuring the Success of Your Change Management Process

It's often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different result. In the business world, even when a plan of action isn't working, it can be difficult to break from the routine. On the other hand, orchestrating change in an organized manner can be equally challenging. Change management can make the shift in operational strategy easier on everyone.

Here are a few ways to monitor your change management process, so you can determine what is and isn't working, and make adjustments as needed to ensure the organization is staying on course:

Monitor Progress of Change

Once everyone is on board with the reasons for the change - whether it's to stay one step ahead of the competition or adapting to current trends - the first step in the change management process is keeping track of how things are going. Collin Andrews, a management consultant and LinkedIn contributor, said monitoring progress is best accomplished with a combination of quantitative and qualitative data.

"Each measurement is integral in understanding the success and the progress of any cultural or operational change," Andrews explained. "Building a scorecard for change is not as daunting as you might think, and is one of the single most important pieces in the change managers' toolkit."

He added that collecting this information - such as quarterly sales performance - allows the team to accurately assess what's happening in real time, so the proper corrections can be implemented, when needed.

Compare Old and New Results

Newton's third law of motion sums it up: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It's the "what" in these reactions that must be assessed. Compare and contrast the new chain of command with the old. For example, if greater productivity is the goal, you can get a better idea of whether or not that's occurring by comparing it to conditions a year ago at the same time. Keeping accurate records is critical in order to glean insight.

Go to the Source

Frequently, employees are the ones most directly affected by change management. It only makes sense to speak to them about how they think things are going. Whether it's through one-on-one interviews, team discussions, focus groups or anonymous surveys, the people on the front lines help provide added context.

Regardless of whether change is in the works or has already been implemented, the above steps lay the groundwork for monitoring progress in the days, months and years ahead.