Change management
Plan communication, training, and adoption alongside delivery, then measure whether the change is in use.
When this is the work
Signs the change is not landing.
A project can deliver on schedule and still fail if people keep working the old way. If several of these apply, adoption needs its own plan and owner.
- The system went live, and people kept the spreadsheet.The investment is made, but the old way of working is still in use.
- Staff heard about the change at launch.Resistance that could have been addressed early arrives all at once.
- Training was one session for everyone.People leave without knowing what changes in their own job.
- Managers cannot answer their teams' questions.The people expected to lead the change were not prepared for it.
- Nobody is measuring use after go-live.Leadership assumes adoption until the results say otherwise.
- Several changes are landing on the same teams.No one is managing the combined load, so everything slows.
What it includes
What the work can include.
Every engagement is scoped in writing and tied to the delivery schedule of the change it supports.
Stakeholder and impact assessment
Who is affected, how their work changes, and where support or resistance is likely.
Change strategy and plan
A plan tied to the delivery schedule, with sponsors, milestones, and readiness criteria.
Communications
What each audience needs to know, from whom, and when, in plain language.
Role-based training
Training built around what each role does differently, with job aids people can use at their desk.
Readiness and go-live support
Readiness checks before launch and support through the first weeks after it.
Adoption measurement
Use and proficiency measured by group and reported to sponsors, with action on the gaps.
- Measured by
- Adoption and proficiency by role
- Support demand after go-live
- Benefits realized against the business case
- You keep
- Change and communications plan
- Role-based training and job aids
- Adoption reporting
How it runs
Stages and outputs.
Assess
Identify who is affected and how their work changes.
OutputStakeholder and impact assessment
Plan
Build the change plan alongside the delivery plan, with sponsors and readiness criteria.
OutputChange and communications plan
Prepare
Brief managers, deliver role-based training, and confirm readiness.
OutputTrained teams and a readiness decision
Sustain
Support the first weeks, measure adoption, and close the gaps.
OutputAdoption reporting in use
Related capabilities
Align systems, data, and automation with the process, and carry them through implementation.
→Related capabilityProgram & portfolio managementGive complex programs a plan, accountable owners, and reporting leadership can rely on.
→Related capabilityProcess improvementRedesign how work moves through the organization, and stay through implementation.
→Questions
Change management questions.
When should change management start?
At the start of the project, not at launch. The plan is built alongside delivery so that communication, training, and readiness are timed to the schedule.
Can you support a change that is already under way?
Yes. We begin with a short assessment of where adoption stands and what is blocking it, then focus on the groups and steps that matter most.
Do you deliver the training yourselves?
We design it and can deliver it, or prepare your managers and trainers to deliver it. The choice depends on scale and on what your team will sustain.
How do you measure adoption?
By use and proficiency in the roles affected, not by attendance. Measures are agreed with the sponsor at the start and reported after go-live.
Not sure this is the right starting point?
The Operating Diagnostic is a three-week, fixed-fee look at how the work actually runs. It tells you whether the fix is a process, a decision, a system, or all three, and gives you an action plan either way.