How project managers can master transformational change

Before you can help implement change management, you need to understand what this broadly used term in the context of project management. Change management is a discipline that allows businesses to effectively and precisely identify and document anticipated changes to the business as well as understand how those changes affect individuals in terms of their workflows/processes. It also aids in preparing individuals for those changes and helps guide them towards best practices within new processes for continuous improvement.

Why change management is necessary throughout a project’s lifecycle

Strategic alignment is greatly impacted when you undertake projects. Projects make change inevitable, triggering the need for change management as a result of the impact to existing processes, people and even how technologies are used. These changes will influence how the business delivers on its vision operationally, financially, technologically, and may even impact legal or regulatory responsibilities.

Stakeholder expectations can also become obstructed as a result of changes that occur throughout projects and business initiatives. Most businesses recognize when external customers are impacted by changes to their business, while internal stakeholders may go unrecognized. Regardless, stakeholder expectations should always remain in the forefront. Their expectations must be carefully and precisely monitored and managed to reduce lost confidence.

Process breakdowns and delivery deficiencies can become a reality if effective change management is not factored into project outcomes. All product-, service- or support-related administration delivery should be carefully analyzed in the initial stages to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Simple details, if missed, can completely change effective delivery models and processes.

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Breaking down the three levels of change management

Individual change management is the most basic level where changes can have a detrimental impact on each individual within an organization first. When projects create change, some individuals adapt quickly and remain flexible while others may react with fear, anger and resistance. This can be a difficult area to navigate since change impacts each individual differently. These situations will require tailored communication, training, and guidance.

Organizational change management is where specific teams, departments or groups of individuals are impacted by changes that occur. Leaders can more easily plan for, communicate with, guide and train various groups on changes and the resulting impact. Moving teams towards improvements and new processes can help them to more easily adapt. Team members can also assist, educate and support each other in this effort.

Transformational management provides for managing change at a higher level, and involves the recognition of the impact to the overall strategic planning, organizing, communicating, leading and operating of the business. All initiatives and their impact should be factored in from an overall company-wide vantage point.

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Mastering transformational change

Recruit a change management expert

From the very beginning a change management specialist should work with the project team and stakeholders to identify and document the current processes as well as proposed changes. Look for individuals who are specifically trained and proficient in change management. This allows for a second set of eyes focused specifically in a discipline outside of project management, this provides visibility from a more operational efficiency standpoint. Doing this provides redundancy to some extent and increases the chances of solidifying companywide buy-in. It’s important for company leadership and project managers to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and solicit the help of change management experts to enhance strategic initiatives.

Recognize the challenges for project and company leaders

Change almost always brings about uncertainty, fear, insecurity, resistance, withholding of information and efforts, and possibly even the sabotage of efforts by individuals. More often than not this is unintentional, but nonetheless present. These are not things that can go unaddressed. The project, portfolio and ultimately strategic success will be greatly impacted by how effectively and expediently human interaction and reaction is managed.

Work towards addressing the human reaction to change

Clear, timely and transparent communication is critical to mastering effective change management within, as well as outside of projects. From the onset, leaders must factor in the anticipated changes, as well as the anticipated individual and group reactions, and address them quickly and entirely. Without this, the risk of adverse reaction and impact to projects, portfolio, and company-wide success is likely to be high. This is not the time to underestimate individual input or output or concern. Be direct and fair.

Put in sufficient time identifying, planning and analyzing

Considering the impact at a strategic level, this isn’t something that you should rush. Take the time to identify and solicit input from all relevant business areas and involve a change management expert from the very start. This should provide some additional risk management and ensure all possibilities and pitfalls have been properly contemplated, identified and addressed before proceeding.

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