The Five Elements of Successful Change Management

I believe that there are 7 key principles to effective programme governance. These are;

1. the need to manage both ways - upwards and downwards. Every programme needs to have clear direction from the above and also requires careful control and management downwards

2. to have an effective steering group with the appropriate members who can provide direction and support. The members of the steering group should be senior level people who can take decisions from all of the affected functions across the business.

3. to maintain senior level input and engagement - in addition, it is important that the senior figures 'walk the talk'

4. to ensure the programme stays within formal business strategy and corporate governance

5. to work to a recognised lifecycle

6. to control the programme
a. stay within remit
b. manage change control
c. manage and control risks and issues
d. deliver on time, to cost and quality and deliver the anticipated benefits

7. to report progress and relevant issues honestly to all relevant parties

Take a look at a more detailed presentation covering this area - Click Here

Failure to engage the business is one of the leading reasons why change programmes fail. He states that;

Change can only be successful and benefits achieved if the combined individual efforts of people within the organisation work towards the business goals

It is the mobilisation of people within the organisation from the individual, to teams, to everyone that will really make the difference

It is people, not technology that run the business - it is their goodwill that will make or break a change

The programme therefore needs to interest, encourage and support people during the change to foster new ways of working and thinking to achieve the desired benefits from the change

Large scale mobilisation of people in large, complex programmes is one of the biggest challenges in change management.

Take a look at a more detailed presentation covering this area - Click Here

Solutions don't deliver any benefit unless they are aligned to business objectives.

Technology in particular has to not only fit business needs but also be usable to deliver benefit.

If a system isn't fit for purpose, ir if it is not easy to operate, it won't get used.

If the new system or process requires a change in how people fulfil their jobs and they don't know how to do their jobs with the new ways, they won't deliver.

Don't assume that people can work it out - they just want to get their job done. If it's not obvious when they first start using the new system/ new processes, they will revert to the old ways of working.

Many changes to systems/ processes are ignored or not used and do not deliver their full potential.

Significant investment is wasted as benefits aren't realised and expensive ongoing development or improvements are required.

Take a look at a more detailed presentation covering this area - Click Here

Embedding change requires people to consistently and permanently adopt new practices, behaviours, skills and capabilities.

If change is not embedded, old ways resurface. This undermines the vision and solution being implemented - inefficiencies and ineffectiveness creeps back in.

The real benefit from the change can only be realised if the change 'sticks'

Benefits cannot be achieved if only a few adopt new ways. The whole organisation needs to adopt new practices.

Embedding change requires a long term approach - preparing, supporting and developing people throughout the change and beyond. This needs to be planned for and form a crucial part of the programme.

Take a look at a more detailed presentation covering this area - Click Here

If benefits are not measured, the success of the project cannot be quantified.

Without measurement of benefits, it is difficult to establish whether the benefits outweighed the costs and whether the business case was met.

Without measurement of benefits, future investments of similar type will be harder to justify, especially if the programme was complex.

Benefits can only be quantified if they are robustly measured - guesswork won't prove a business case.

A robust approach to benefits measurement is the key to proving the business case and justifying the success of the project.

Take a look at a more detailed presentation covering this area - Click Here