Prosci Project Change Triangle (PCT) -
role of executives
In this series of tutorials, Prosci is presenting the Prosci
Project Change
Triangle (PCT), a model for successful
executing and implementing projects.
This model was developed out of a number of client engagements and
training experiences, where we found that there lacked a framework
showing how different components of successful projects interact to
create a sustainable and successful business initiative. The
first tutorial
presented the Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT). The
second tutorial
defined each piece of triangle, and the
third tutorial presented an assessment tool for evaluating your projects. This tutorial looks at the role of leaders in
making projects successful.
Leadership role in making change successful
The model pictured below builds on the Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT) framework for successful
projects. The original Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT) (the triangle in the center) presents three elements crucial to a
project or initiative meeting its objectives and ROI targets:
leadership/sponsorship, project management and change management. This
tutorial expands on the model by illustrating the
interaction between leadership and the other two elements of
successful projects.
Executive role in successful change
Prosci Project Change Triangle
Project success
is shown as a triangle because there are specific
links between leadership and
project management and between leadership and change management (and
ultimately between project management and change management). The
expanded Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT) above shows that:
the connection between leadership and project
management is related to decisions that are made by leaders the connection between leadership
and change management is tied to the actions
of the senior leader
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Leaders play a key role in supporting
both of the other two legs of the
Prosci Change Triangle - project management and change management.
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This tutorial is a valuable tool you have
to help get your change sponsors on board and supportive of
the role they play in managing change. To make this easier,
Prosci has prepared a
one-page executive handout (PDF opens in new window)
that illustrates the role of senior leaders in making change
successful. Use this handout and your understanding of the
Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT) to get your senior
leaders on board with their role in supporting the project
management and change management elements of the Prosci
Project Change
Triangle (PCT).
At the onset of a new project, the executive sponsor should ask:
What is our project management
readiness? What is our change management
readiness? Am I ready to sponsor
this change? (see Prosci’s Sponsor
Competency Assessment***)
These steps are important to ensure that the project has the three
elements of the Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT) in place
before getting started. The
second tutorial
of this series provides definitions of each of the elements, and the
third tutorial
presents a simple assessment that can be used to determine if a project
has the necessary pieces in place to be successful.
Key roles on the project-side of the change (project management):
Define the scope, resources and schedule that are needed to
align with the business strategy and objectives. Resolve project issues by balancing scope, resources and project
dates. Help set priorities between this project and competing projects
or day-to-day operational commitments.
On the project side, leadership is central in defining what will be
changed and how it will be changed. This is why the connection between
leadership and project management is referred to as
executive decisions in the Prosci
Project Change
Triangle (PCT). The first
requirement on the project-side is to clearly define
what is changing in the
organization. While executives typically outline some of the dimensions
like scope and schedule when they charter a project, it is equally
important for them to monitor and balance the time-scope-resource
tradeoff on the project.
Key roles on the people-side of the change (change management):
Communicate directly with employees; share why the change is
happening, the risks of not changing and align the change with the
overall direction of the business; repeat these messages through
multiple communication channels including face-to-face interactions. Build a sponsorship coalition that reinforces the awareness
message at all levels; enable peers, direct reports and managers to
communicate the reasons for change to their employees such that a
consistent message is finding its way throughout the organization.
Participate actively and visibly throughout the entire change
process; stay engaged with the project team; collect feedback from
employees using ADKAR assessments.
Senior leaders play a central role in making change successful. In
all four of Prosci's benchmarking studies on effective change management
(1998, 2000, 2003, 2005) participants sited the role of the sponsor of
change as the number one contributor to success.
In the 2005 study with 411 participants, the role of the senior leader
was cited by a three-to-one margin over any other success factor. One of
the biggest issues related to the executive
actions on the change management side is that senior leaders
don't know what good sponsorship looks like in concrete terms. It is the
responsibility of the change management practitioner to educate and
coach senior leaders to fulfill the roles mentioned above, with
checklists and specific actions to follow.
Next steps
The first tutorials in this series were aimed at educating you about
the Prosci Project Change
Triangle (PCT). This tutorial has a different
intent - to help you get senior leaders on board. There are
several resources to support you as you move forward and discuss the Prosci
Project Change
Triangle (PCT) with senior leaders. First, the
one-page executive handout (PDF opens in new window) is a good way
to begin the discussion on the three key components of successful
projects and how senior leaders can support initiatives. If you are
ready to take the next step, Prosci offers 4-6 hour executive briefings
that address the importance and role of senior leaders during change.
These interactive sessions include personal and organizational
assessments. Email
a Prosci training analyst or call 970-203-9332 for more information
about executive briefings. Lastly, Prosci offers a number of resources
for practitioners building change management strategies and plans for
particular projects, including the hardcopy Change Management Toolkit,
the online Change Management Pilot,
and three 3-day
certification
training program.
Download the one-page executive handout to use with your senior
leaders.
Email this tutorial
*** Prosci's Sponsor Competency Assessment is part of the Prosci methodology presented in
the Change Management Toolkit,
the Change Management Pilot and
the 3-day
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
-
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 ($449) - online tool including Prosci's change
management methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable templates,
assessments, presentations and checklists
-
Change Management Pilot Professional ($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
-
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
-
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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