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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 8:53 am
The components of the change management plan
Some changes are simply unpredictable, such as when a popular leader suddenly sets up a company in Dubai, the land of drone taxis . Your company must now adapt to a new leadership structure.
A well-thought-out change management plan addresses both unexpected and foreseeable problems and their solutions. Moving to a new, chic office building with a coffee bar and yoga room doesn't happen overnight. Even if you sometimes have several years to plan such major changes, there are many aspects that need to be taken into account, such as the distribution of desks and seating, connections to local transport or parking spaces.
Every change management is divided into three main phases: planning, goal formulation/conception and implementation/control. Let's take a closer look at these three phases.
1. Planning
It may seem redundant at first, but the first phase of any solid change management plan is planning. It may take several months, or it may only take a few days. The more thought you put into it in advance and the better you structure it, the smoother it will go.
Change Management - Planning
This phase includes the following steps:
Determine how the change will affect your business. Risk management tools can help you prepare for unforeseen costs, and an organizational chart can help you identify which teams and individuals are most affected.
Put together a change management team. This team should include representatives from every department affected by the change. Just like kickoff meetings at the start of new projects, the whole team should meet beforehand to make sure everyone is on board and everyone can voice their opinion.
Set a time frame. This is where your project management skills come into play. Using tools such as Gantt charts, burndown charts and milestones, you can set the start and end point, i.e. the full implementation, and which milestones need to be achieved and when in order to meet the schedule.
2. Goal formulation/conception
This is the most important aspect of change management because it is during this phase that the change actually takes place. The day of the move has arrived, the new CEO starts his job or an employee introduces new collaboration software during a project . With good planning, this phase should run smoothly.
Change Management - Goal Formulation
This phase includes the following steps:
Training and support. No matter how many training videos employees watch or how long they play around with the new software, problems will inevitably arise on the first day. A designated contact person or support on the speed dial should help to remedy this.
Communication. Especially during times of change, a lack of communication can leave the team feeling left alone. It is important not to simply say when and why the changes are happening, but to maintain a dialogue throughout the process and to address problems and concerns as they arise.
Adaptation. No matter how well planned, implementation often reveals that further adjustments are necessary. Perhaps the formatting feature in your new CMS does n't work and you have to continue working in Google Docs until the solution is found. Or the new Scrum Master loves fresh air and wants to hold his daily meetings outside even in February, so you have to mediate on behalf of the team.
3. Implementation/Control
You have successfully planned the upcoming change, your new server did not blow up and your employees have continued working successfully without even missing a deadline. Congratulations! However, your work is not quite finished yet. In your role as change manager, one of your tasks is to ensure that the initial euphoria about new software or a new workplace does not evaporate or even turn around. Long-term satisfaction with the new situation is your goal.
Change Management - Control
This phase includes the following steps:
Retraining. Your new software is constantly being updated with new features and it is upkuwait telegram data to you to train your team accordingly. Retraining is also the ideal time to find out if the software is being used correctly and to get feedback.
Ongoing communication. You've probably noticed that communication is of the utmost importance in every phase of change management. Let's look at the example of moving into the new building again: In the first week, everyone is probably still very excited and happy about their new workplace. But once everyone has settled in, you should ask how the new cafeteria is being received, whether everything is OK with the parking spaces, or whether someone is only working from home because your office is haunted .
Observe the situation. This is where the circle closes. After the change has been fully implemented and you no longer have to worry about your team not getting the job done, you can go back to your daily routine as a project manager or move on to the next innovation.
Are you ready for change?
After reading this guide, you should feel more comfortable making changes at work. But please leave me a comment if you think I've missed something important. Of course, I'm also happy to receive positive feedback and to hear about your experiences.
Looking for project management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best project
Some changes are simply unpredictable, such as when a popular leader suddenly sets up a company in Dubai, the land of drone taxis . Your company must now adapt to a new leadership structure.
A well-thought-out change management plan addresses both unexpected and foreseeable problems and their solutions. Moving to a new, chic office building with a coffee bar and yoga room doesn't happen overnight. Even if you sometimes have several years to plan such major changes, there are many aspects that need to be taken into account, such as the distribution of desks and seating, connections to local transport or parking spaces.
Every change management is divided into three main phases: planning, goal formulation/conception and implementation/control. Let's take a closer look at these three phases.
1. Planning
It may seem redundant at first, but the first phase of any solid change management plan is planning. It may take several months, or it may only take a few days. The more thought you put into it in advance and the better you structure it, the smoother it will go.
Change Management - Planning
This phase includes the following steps:
Determine how the change will affect your business. Risk management tools can help you prepare for unforeseen costs, and an organizational chart can help you identify which teams and individuals are most affected.
Put together a change management team. This team should include representatives from every department affected by the change. Just like kickoff meetings at the start of new projects, the whole team should meet beforehand to make sure everyone is on board and everyone can voice their opinion.
Set a time frame. This is where your project management skills come into play. Using tools such as Gantt charts, burndown charts and milestones, you can set the start and end point, i.e. the full implementation, and which milestones need to be achieved and when in order to meet the schedule.
2. Goal formulation/conception
This is the most important aspect of change management because it is during this phase that the change actually takes place. The day of the move has arrived, the new CEO starts his job or an employee introduces new collaboration software during a project . With good planning, this phase should run smoothly.
Change Management - Goal Formulation
This phase includes the following steps:
Training and support. No matter how many training videos employees watch or how long they play around with the new software, problems will inevitably arise on the first day. A designated contact person or support on the speed dial should help to remedy this.
Communication. Especially during times of change, a lack of communication can leave the team feeling left alone. It is important not to simply say when and why the changes are happening, but to maintain a dialogue throughout the process and to address problems and concerns as they arise.
Adaptation. No matter how well planned, implementation often reveals that further adjustments are necessary. Perhaps the formatting feature in your new CMS does n't work and you have to continue working in Google Docs until the solution is found. Or the new Scrum Master loves fresh air and wants to hold his daily meetings outside even in February, so you have to mediate on behalf of the team.
3. Implementation/Control
You have successfully planned the upcoming change, your new server did not blow up and your employees have continued working successfully without even missing a deadline. Congratulations! However, your work is not quite finished yet. In your role as change manager, one of your tasks is to ensure that the initial euphoria about new software or a new workplace does not evaporate or even turn around. Long-term satisfaction with the new situation is your goal.
Change Management - Control
This phase includes the following steps:
Retraining. Your new software is constantly being updated with new features and it is upkuwait telegram data to you to train your team accordingly. Retraining is also the ideal time to find out if the software is being used correctly and to get feedback.
Ongoing communication. You've probably noticed that communication is of the utmost importance in every phase of change management. Let's look at the example of moving into the new building again: In the first week, everyone is probably still very excited and happy about their new workplace. But once everyone has settled in, you should ask how the new cafeteria is being received, whether everything is OK with the parking spaces, or whether someone is only working from home because your office is haunted .
Observe the situation. This is where the circle closes. After the change has been fully implemented and you no longer have to worry about your team not getting the job done, you can go back to your daily routine as a project manager or move on to the next innovation.
Are you ready for change?
After reading this guide, you should feel more comfortable making changes at work. But please leave me a comment if you think I've missed something important. Of course, I'm also happy to receive positive feedback and to hear about your experiences.
Looking for project management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best project