Change management in an IT Project: 10 ways to make it work !

1. Analyze till you drop

Step 1: Make sure you know whom you’re targeting age, gender, experience, tasks,…

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Step 2: Define the change and its impact use strategic information by management talk to the users compare available information on the change to

what users are actually doing

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Step 3: Draw up a neat matrix, list,… what different user groups are there? what is the impact of the change on each

group?

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2. Plan, schedule, and plan some more

Start thinking about the best strategy for implementing the change

Make sure that you have a plan for: communicating about the change training the people involved providing support after the go-live

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Blend all these aspects into one change management plan

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It is the change manager’s responsibility to involve the IT, communication, training, … departments

Remember: everything is subject to change, also planning

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3. Start… and never stop communicating

Rule nr. 1 - Start communicating as soon as the word about the change gets out What will change? Why will it change? What will be the consequences for me? When will this happen?

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Rule nr. 2 – Target your communications Don’t send out only general communications

that can be read by anyone Some of the user groups that you defined may

need more detailed info than others. E.g. middle management vs. average employee.

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Rule nr. 3 – Never lie Only communicate information that is correct Be honest. Respect your employee. Create realistic expectations about what the

change will or will not imply

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4. Timing is everything: get it right

Draw up a timeline

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week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4

Follow these basic rules: Put communication initiatives first on your

timeline Communication, training and support initiatives

should at all times be nicely tuned to each other Make sure that your employees do not have

their most important training moment more than 2 weeks before the go-live

Define a specific timeline for specific user groups like help desk, trainers, etc.

Have a plan B ready in case things go wrong...

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5. Get EVERYONE involved

Make sure that top management provides you with the organizational strategy for implementing the change

Involve middle management for all sorts of practical and strategic reasons

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Make sure there’s a platform that end users or employees can use to share questions and concerns Performing observations, interviews, … with

employees can give you very valuable input when defining the impact of the change

Involving end users or employees will generate support for the introduction of the change in the long run

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Appoint change agents Change agents should:

Have the right position in the company – Make a mix of various levels (end user, middle management…) in the company

Be enthusiastic – Their enthusiasm will motivate more moderate employees later on

Be prepared to go the extra mile – Introducing a change is never easy. You need to be able to appeal to change agents who are very motivated to take your company to the next level

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6. Sell your change

Make sure that you have a well-considered list of advantages for your end users

Don’t try to fool people by not talking about the strategic considerations for introducing the change Explain these strategic considerations in an

easy-to-understand way Cut down on the management talk and keep it

simple

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Make people understand why they need to change. As people start understanding the strategic

considerations for change – and the personal advantages that might be in it for them – they will also start getting motivated to change.

Motivate people by being motivated!

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7. Don’t ignore resistance

Detect the signs that indicate resistance Show people that you care about how they

feel and that you are motivated to share information with them!

Deal with the reactions and questions that you detect

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8. Learn from your mistakes

Things will go wrong at some point Set up the necessary mechanisms for

gathering feedback: Set clear goals that can be measured Evaluate training Evaluate the effect of training Set up a communication channel

Learn from your mistakeswhile solving these problems!

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9. Make changing fun!

Make sure your users WANT to change. Make changing fun!

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Organize a contest in which several groups of users compete in displaying their knowledge of the new system.

Right after the go-live, have users of the new system compete to realize well-defined targets. Of course, you will need to reward the winners.

Use your imagination!

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10. Accept that managing change is a never-ending story

Change is not a one-time effort Even when your new tool, application or

technology is live, you need to keep on making it work

It’s never too late to change… But you cannot start preparing for change too soon!

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Contact Human Interface Group if you want to receive custom advice on how to make your change work! 

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See also our white paper “The People Factor in Change Management”http://www.higroup.com/wp-request-changemgmt

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Human Interface Group

Human Interface Group

info@higroup.com