Anyone who has been working in Programme and Project Delivery for a while will have realised that you can deliver the perfect system implementation, new product, process change, or department restructure, but unless you get the impacted people on board, you will not realise the benefits that were intended at the outset of the project. We know this, but how do we ensure we achieve the desired change?
A resilient plan? Robust stakeholder management? Great communications? All good, but does it guarantee you achieve the desired results? How can you improve the likelihood of successful change outcomes?
At Magellan we believe that an important part of successful change is enabling your people to embrace and adopt the change. A structured Change Management approach is vital to improve the likelihood of a successful outcome. For change to be successful the individuals who make up your organisation must be prepared, equipped and supported as they move through the changes. They need to understand and embrace the change. Even when the change is “mandatory”, it may not be automatically successfully adopted; your employees may feel negatively impacted which will affect morale, productivity and cause attrition.
Project Management, which focuses on the technical side of change, and Change Management, which focuses on the people side of change, both play critical roles in change success. In harmony with Project Management, Change Management is the application of a structured process and set of tools for leading the people side of change to achieve a desired outcome.
With a focus on Change Management, employees:
- Adopt changes faster, more completely and more proficiently
- Stay engaged in the organisation during disruptive change
- Understand why the change is happening
- Have the time and tools to get on board and feel heard and supported
Using a best-practices approach to managing change, you can improve the likelihood of meeting your project objectives by 6 times (according to research by leading Change Management organisation Prosci, who have been surveying practitioners around the globe for more than 20 years).
Applying the principles of Change Management before, during and after a project can go a long way in helping you achieve the desired returns on your project investments. Magellan Consultancy have experienced consultants qualified in using this best-practice Prosci Change Management approach so, if you would like to find out more about how we can help you seamlessly and efficiently achieve your change goals, click here to contact us.