Applying best practices in change
management
2008 Kickoff Series
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As the new year begins, Prosci and the Change Management
Learning Center are excited to release a three part series focused on
launching effective change management programs for your upcoming
projects. The three tutorials in the 2008
Kickoff Series will examine specific steps you can take
to ensure your projects meet their objectives by effectively managing
the people side of change.
- Module 1 - Applying best practices in change management
- Module 2 - Positioning the project for success - the Prosci PCT Model
- Module 3 - Developing a solid change management strategy
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Actions you can take to prepare
your change management program:
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Applying best practices in change management
The findings in the 2007
Best Practices in Change
Management benchmarking report read like a checklist of what to do, and
what not to do, when implementing change in your organization. By
collecting and analyzing the stories of over 420 project team leaders
and members, a comprehensive set of lessons learned emerged that can be
immediately applied to your upcoming projects in 2008. For this
tutorial, we will look at the findings from only one section: the
greatest contributors to overall success.
How do your pending projects stack up? Jump straight to the
best practices audit.
Top 5 contributors to overall success
Below are excerpts from the 2007 Best Practices in
Change Management benchmarking report identifying the top five overall
contributors to program success. As you think about a project you are
currently working on, ask yourself to what degree you are fulfilling
these best practices. Following the list is a
best practices audit you can complete to
find a score for your project.
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1. Active and visible executive sponsorship
Consistent with the findings from Prosci's previous four
studies, active and visible executive sponsorship ranked as
the number one success factor for change management
programs, with participants citing this factor four times
more frequently than any other area. Participants cited the
need for senior business leaders to be accessible,
knowledgeable about the change, committed and involved.
According to participants, active and visible executive
sponsorship included: 1) Proactive identification of key
stakeholders to build a sponsorship coalition; 2)
Direct communications with employees to build awareness of
the need for change and to share the organization's vision
and objectives; 3) Visibility and accessibility throughout
the entire project.
Resources to support #1: The
Best
Practices in Change Management report includes detailed
action lists that describe what sponsorship really means. In
the hardcopy
Change Management Toolkit and
online
Change Management
Pilot 2008, you will find a sponsor competency
assessment, sponsor assessment diagram guidelines and
templates for developing a sponsor roadmap.
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2. Structured change management approach
Participants cited the use of a structured change
management approach along with a detailed change management
plan as a key contributor to their success. Study
participants cited the need for practical change management
knowledge and a well-orchestrated program.
Resources to support #2: Prosci's
hardcopy
Change Management Toolkit and
online
Change Management
Pilot 2008 present the research-based 3-phase change
management process of Preparing for change, Managing change
and Reinforcing change. Each include complete sets of
assessments and templates that make it easy to create
comprehensive change management strategies and plans for an
upcoming project. Read more about
Prosci's methodology.
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3. Frequent and open communications around the need for
change
Frequent and open communications included
regular information sharing that established a clear and
compelling reason for the change. This included identifying
impacted groups, building awareness of the need for change
and sharing the costs or risks of not changing. Participants
cited the need for a "clear line of sight" to the business
strategy that was consistent and easy to understand. Study
participants also emphasized the need to share how the
change benefits the organization and end-users.
Resources to support #3: The
Best
Practices in Change Management report includes findings
on effective communications and key messages to communicate.
The hardcopy
Change Management Toolkit and
online
Change Management
Pilot 2008 include communication plan guidelines and
templates.
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4. Dedicated resources for change management
Dedicating resources to change management included the
assignment of resources trained in change management for
planning and implementation. In some cases, for large change
projects, study participants indicated the need for change
management resources to be assigned by function and by
region in order to have change management expertise onsite
and local to the community impacted by the change.
Resources to support #4: Prosci's
3-day change management certification program is a
highly interactive environment for learning change
management principles while you apply the methodology to a
project you bring from work. Prosci's methodology includes
steps for designing and preparing the change management
team.
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5. Employee participation
Employee participation included many types of involvement
by employees, particularly focus groups and other activities
that allowed employee input to the design of the change.
Study participants cited the need for proactive interactions
that fostered feedback and resulted in enthusiastic and
motivated employees. Customer input was also cited as an
important element for successful change management programs.
Resources to support #5: Employee
participation will depend on the project and the unique
solution that is being developed. The final phase of the
methodology (Reinforcing change) presented in the hardcopy
Change Management Toolkit and
online
Change Management
Pilot 2008 includes suggestions for evaluating
compliance and measuring change adoption.
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Prosci Best Practices Audit
The Prosci Best Practices Audit presented below is based
on the greatest overall contributors to success in the 2007
Best Practices in
Change Management benchmarking report. Think about an upcoming
change in your organization and complete the assessment below to see how
well your change management program aligns with best practices. Score
each factor on a 1 - 5 scale:
1 = Strongly disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly agree
* The tool below is a simple calculator. No data is
captured or transmitted.
Prosci Best Practices Audit calculator
Score interpretation
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Scores |
Interpretation |
| 80 - 100 |
You are doing a good job of applying change management
best practices on your project. According to data on change
management effectiveness, projects with scores of 80 - 100
are more likely to meet their objectives and finish on
schedule. |
| 60 - 79 |
There is work to be done. While you are doing okay on
some of the factors, the change management program
overall
is not performing at a level that would ensure project
success. |
| under 59 |
Immediate and significant work is required to get the
project on track. Research shows that projects with
ineffective change management face more resistance,
experience more barriers and surprise obstacles and are
less likely to meet their objectives. |
Email the
Prosci Best Practices Audit to a friend
Resources for bringing change management best practices
into your projects
| If you are looking for: |
Then try: |
| * Research on effective change
management |
Prosci's 2007 Best Practices in Change
Management benchmarking report shares lessons learned and
findings from 426 organizations in 59 countries. The most
comprehensive report of its kind, Best Practices in Change
Management presents what to do and what not to do on a number of
topics ranging from communication to resistance management to
manager engagement.
Overview
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Table of contents |
Participant list |
Interactive TOC |
| * A structured change management
methodology |
Prosci's research based methodology is
available in the hardcopy Change Management Toolkit (3-ring
binder with CD-ROM) and the online Change Management Pilot 2008
(access from any web-browser). These products present
step-by-step guidelines for creating a change management
strategy and the associated customized change management plan.
Each are complete with over 30 templates and assessments.
Change
Management Toolkit |
Change Management Pilot
2008 |
| * Change management certification |
Prosci offers open enrollment 3-day
certification programs at locations across the United States, or
you can bring the program onsite for your organization. During the 3 days,
participants learn the foundations of change management and are
involved in an intensive workshop where they create a 15 minute
change management strategy at the session. Each time you learn a
tool, you apply it to the project you bring. -- "Very easily
the best, most educational learning experience in which I have
ever participated." Chris T.
Change
Management Certification Program |
Tools for applying change management:
- Change
management certification ($2100) - 3-day program where you bring
a project you are working on and apply all of the assessments and
tools as you learn them - taught by former Fortune 500 executives at
locations across the U.S.
- 2007 Best Practices in Change Management
benchmarking report ($249) - journal-style report with lessons learned and best practices
from 426 participants, presented in an easy-to-use format - reads as
a checklist of what to do and what not to do
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Change Management Toolkit ($349) - hardcopy 3-ring binder presenting
Prosci's change management methodology; includes templates, checklists
and assessments for managing the people side of change (includes CD-ROM)
- Change
Management Guide for Managers and Supervisors ($189) -
tools to help supervisors engage and coach their direct reports
through change (includes 4 copies of the Employee's Survival Guide)
- Change
Management Pilot 2008 ($449) - online tool including Prosci's change
management methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable templates,
assessments, presentations and checklists
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Change Management Pilot Professional 2008 ($559) - the content of the
Change Management Pilot plus additional benchmarking data and an
online version of the Change Management Guide for Managers and
Supervisors
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Change Management: the people side of change ($18.95) - a primer for anyone
involved in organizational change that addresses why manage change,
individual change management and organizational change management
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Employee's Survival Guide to Change ($14.95) - a handbook to help
employees survive and thrive during change; answers frequently asked
questions and empowers employees to take charge of change
*** Prosci also offers
leadership packages - groupings of products at discounts that
offer you some of the most helpful and common combinations of Prosci
change management resources
Email this page to a friend
Email a Prosci analyst or
call 970-203-9332 with questions about the methodology, its application, or finding the
right resources to support your change management activities.
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