Why Project Managers Make Better Change agents

Since the advent of the internet at the turn of the century, organizational operations have become more adaptive and less rigid. Companies need to navigate significant technological advancements, often within the span of a quarter. These rapid changes bring with them shifting market demands and evolving customer expectations, necessitating an adaptive mindset to manage this process. The fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant adjustments to ways of working made this even more critical. Project managers, responsible for managing organizational processes, must therefore be adept at managing change, quick to adapt to changing situations and equipped with the foresight to envisage potential challenges. This article explores how project managers come ready made with these skills, why they make better change agents and how their expertise can drive innovation.

Summary (TL;DR):

• Project management methodologies all provide systematic approaches to managing change
• Change needs to be broken down into clear objectives and deliverables for it to be actionable. Project managers are skilled at breaking down broad initiatives into manageable tasks.
• Project managers are skilled at engaging stakeholders to obtain buy-in and reduce resistance.
• Project managers are excellent at identifying and addressing risk, optimizing resources and maintaining stability through the transitions that come with change.

The Structured Approach to Change

Change management requires a well-defined process to ensure transition is seamless. Without a clear process, change can be haphazard, leading to issues down the road. Project managers excel at creating detailed plans, setting clear objectives, and defining milestones, all of which are essential for developing the structures necessary for effective change management. Project management methodologies such as Agile, Waterfall, and PRINCE2 all provide systematic approaches to planning, executing, and monitoring projects, which cater to scope adjustment and adapting to change.

Focus on Objectives and Deliverables

It is important that change initiatives are realistic. Project managers are skilled at taking the change concept and defining a clear objective or deliverable from it. This clarity ensures first that all the stakeholders understand the desired outcome. Secondly, by focusing on the deliverables the change initiative is broken down into manageable tasks that are easy to measure and track. We will assume a case study of a chemicals production company deciding to “Go Green”. This is a great initiative, but it is broad and non-specific. The project manager will break this initiative into market research to determine realistic approaches, defined sustainability targets, potential consumption optimization process adjustments, target markets for innovative eco-friendly products etc.

Effective Stakeholder Management

The linchpin of every change management process is effective stakeholder management. Project managers understand that all parties should be informed and engaged in order to ensure buy-in to the initiative and to reduce resistance. Effective change cannot happen if the relevant stakeholders are not sold on the idea and interested in contributing to its success. Stakeholder engagement is most effective when it is based on a thorough stakeholder analysis. Project managers excel at analyzing, identifying and categorizing stakeholders according to their power, interest, needs and expectations and engaging them accordingly. This ensures concerns are addressed effectively and the change process remains inclusive and collaborative. Company-wide circulars, top-to-bottom team engagements, townhalls, customer awareness campaigns etc. drive awareness for the change and ensure everyone is carried along with the progress.

Risk Management Expertise

There are always uncertainties with adapting to change or effecting innovative initiatives. Project managers are trained to identify potential risks and develop response strategies. This is an invaluable expertise in change management where resistance must be anticipated and responded to in order to ensure success. Contingency plans must also be developed to ensure the schedule and budget is managed efficiently as uncertainties emerge. Project managers ensure risks such as supply chain delays, regulatory challenges with new products, engineering breakdowns etc. will have risk management plans in place to address them.

Resource Control and Management

Allocation and optimization of resources are tools in the project management kit. Project managers know how to ensure the necessary resources, including schedule, budget, personnel and tools are all available and used efficiently to ensure maximum utility. During a change cycle, whether in the introduction of an innovative product, the adaptation to an issue or a scope change, operational instability can often result. Project management skills are important to ensure the organization remains stable and normal operations or deliveries continue as scheduled, even while change is happening. Resource management also includes ensuring the stakeholders receive the necessary training such as in sustainability approaches, change management models like ADKAR, and tools such as Microsoft Project or Jira to carry out the activities required.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Change must be monitored and evaluated to ensure the required outcome is achieved. Project managers use various tools and techniques to monitor progress and evaluate performance. KPIs and other success metrics provide information on the status of individual task progress and relationship to the overall objectives. Feedback loops gather insights from stakeholders and enable adjustments where necessary. This iterative process is present in all project management philosophies, including the traditional waterfall methodology.

Lessons Learned

One key aspect of project management philosophy is the lessons learned, reviews or retrospectives used to document, understand and evaluate the outcome at specific milestones or at the end of the project. Where the review or retrospectives analyze the project performance in relation to the objectives specified at the start of the project or the team’s communication and collaborative style, the lessons learned document all of the knowledge and insights gleaned through the project cycle. This is key in change management because this document helps by documenting what worked well, what can be improved and placing the support mechanisms necessary to sustain the change.

Experienced and certified project managers are well suited for driving change within organizations. The project management philosophy they embody – that encompasses stakeholder management, risk management, resource management and process control, positions them adequately to drive successful change initiatives. These skills and experience qualify them to ensure their organizations navigate change more effectively, ensure smooth transition and achieve sustainable success.

References

Change Management and Project Management: A Side-by-Side Comparison ( prosci.com )

Change Management vs. Project Management: Key Differences ( monday.com )