Six keys to prepare for change

Change Management Strategy presentation template
 

Each change in your organization will be unique.  As a result the magnitude of the change management activities, the required sponsorship and your overall team structure will be unique as well - customized to your specific change.  Sizing the change and identifying your change characteristics is the first step to developing a high-level change management strategy.

For complete information about the change characteristics assessment see the first tutorial in this series.
 

You must consider the attributes of the organization that is being changed when creating your change management strategy. Some organizations are ready, willing and able to change while others are change resistant. Assessing organizational attributes is key to developing a high-level change management strategy.

For complete information about the organizational assessment see the second tutorial in this series.
 

Based on your analysis of the change and organizational assessment from above, you should have a general idea about the level of resources required for your change.  You have many options for the structure of your change management effort, ranging from an existing resource on the project team that spends only part time on change management to a separate change management team with dedicated resources.  

The change management team should be designed around the requirements of your unique change.
 

Like your team structure, your sponsor model should reflect the specific characteristics of your change and attributes of your organization.  Sponsorship is constantly cited (see Change Management Best Practices Report) as a key success factor in change initiatives.  Projects with active, strong and visible sponsors are more successful.  Poor sponsorship can result in project failure.

When selecting a sponsorship model most appropriate for your change, remember that the higher you scored on the change characteristics assessment and the organizational attributes assessment (meaning the more complex your change and more resistant your organization), then the greater the need is for strong sponsorship. 

Once you have selected your sponsor model it is important to determine if the managers you identified as critical sponsors currently support or oppose the change and determine the sponsorship competency of each of these managers. 

If you would like more information determining what team structure and sponsor model is right for your change and your organization see the Change Management Toolkit or Change Management Pilot.
 

Each change project has different attributes and therefore different risk factors. The project risk will be a function of the organizational attributes and the change characteristics.  For complete information on risk assessment see the second tutorial in this series.
 

Special tactics in your change management strategy may be required given your change and your organization.  You may be able to identify special circumstances or possible resistance before the program even begins.  For more details see key five above. 
 

After defining and creating your change management strategy the next step is to get the change management team ready, build the sponsorship assessment diagram and develop the sponsorship model.

The strategy considerations from the first six keys to preparing for change will help you develop the most effective change management plans including sponsorship, communications, coaching, training and resistance management.  Templates and assessments for each of these plans are provided with detailed instruction on their application to your change project in Prosci's 3-day change management certification program.