What change activities
should I include in my
project plan?
Melanie Franklin
Co-Chair, Change
Management Institute UK
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Objectives
1. Project Management is changing –
we are all Change Managers now!
2. Criteria for effective project plans is
broadening.
3. Enhancing project plans with
specific change management
activities.
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We are all change managers now!
• Project lifecycle does not stop with creation:
• Need to prove early in the project lifecycle that
deliverables lead to positive effects.
• Need to incorporate activities that support the
realisation of benefits.
• Increasing use of Agile project management triggers
multiple deliveries throughout project lifecycle.
• Project management must not be done to users:
• We are in a partnership, and we must take account of
the impact of our work on business as usual.
• We can utilise our skills in planning and scheduling to
help users prepare for and manage implementation.
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How criteria is broadening
High
Compelling
nature of the
benefits of
the change
Low
Excellent communication
of the benefits coupled
with high levels of
support for the changes
created by the project
deliverables.
Amount of support to make change happen
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High
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Criteria for effective project plans
Current
PLUS
• Metrics – on time, on
budget
• Explanation – training in
how the deliverables
should be operated
• Resources – reliance on
project team
• Usable – does it work?
• Communication - how
much information are you
providing?
Future
• Metrics – involvement and
support
• Explanation – shared
understanding of how ways
of working might be adapted
• Resources – importance of
collaboration with users
• Desirable – do we want it?
• Communication - how many
questions are you asking?
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Change activities
Participation in the change:
• Involvement in identifying the most relevant and
useful project deliverables
• Involvement in designing, planning and implementing
changes to current ways of working
Enthusiasm for the change:
• Belief in value of the proposed benefits
• Excitement about the proposed future state
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Change activities = pulling levers
• Apply small levels of pressure to get disproportionately
large results
• Levers require empathy to be effective
Action
Reaction
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Exert an internal pressure to change
Generate pride in being associated with the project:
• Invitation only workshops
• Early site of project deliverables in demonstrations
• Linking new ways of working with promotion prospects
• Creating a club house for active users
Generate guilt about not being involved:
• Pointing out negative impact on others of delays in
creating new procedures
• Outlining the disadvantages customers experience from
current situation and delays to project delivery
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Imposed by the process a person needs to follow
• Add an extra step into a system process e.g. readiness
assessment to check that new procedures have been
created before project able to go live
• Add an extra question e.g. question added to team meeting
agenda to encourage information sharing about project
progress
• Include completion criteria e.g. process not complete unless
additional steps to involve customer are completed
• Mandate use of specific metrics e.g. benefits measures
created to reflect anticipated additional business value from
project deliverables
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Push generated by rewards, punishments and
responsibilities
• Reward schemes for users giving up time to get involved in
the project
• Public thanks from senior leaders
• Bonus schemes to share the additional value created by the
project
• Explicit responsibility for the creation of new ways of
working given to specific staff
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Physical environment, access to infrastructure and
office layout
• Users working with the project team made to feel special so
given special area to work in
• More mobile working so more chargers placed around the
office
• More collaborative working so more ‘meet up’ spaces
created in the office
• More visible progress so more white-boards put up around
the office
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Further resources
melanie@agilechangemanagement.co.uk
07960 995262
www.agilechangemanagement.co.uk
Linkedin: Melanie Franklin
YouTube: AgileCM
Twitter: @AgileMelanie
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