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Business change readiness, do we really spend the time understanding what that means? And more so do we spend the time and resources making sure it happens? We hear a lot about how we can manage our project stakeholders to gain their support and how we can best communicate with them. This is of course, and should be, a top priority in your project. Then, one of the common steps in a change management plan is to create an impact assessment of the people and groups that will be impacted in some way by the change you are enacting. Typically this means that a process or maybe a system that they use is changing. So we modify the process and train them in the new system. But for the business to truly be ready, it rarely stops there. Often the projects responsibilities to get the business ready past the items they have direct contact with are not included or funded and the business is left to their own devices to try and make sure they are ready. This can work but in reality is the project really doing its job if it doesn’t support the business through everything? Let me give you a scenario. In the Finance Department of a large corporation, they make a major change to the way they manage their financial accounts due to a new Government regulation. So the project makes sure that the changes are made to the system, the data feeds in and out of the system are changed and some training is carried out with staff so they understand the change. Sounds fair right? But, this Department, their job is to work on the accounts of the corporation and like most accountants and finance professionals they have numerous Excel spreadsheets that they use throughout their job. Let’s say one person has 10 that they use alone. How is the project going to help? And really until those spreadsheets have been assessed for impact and updated, that team is not change ready, are they? Now this team has a day job, do they really have time to also update 10 spreadsheets each? Do they know how to make all the updates? What if they make a mistake? Will they do thorough testing? So when you ask your project stakeholders if they are ready, are they really? Do you even know? And do you think it is right that the project isn’t tasked and resourced to make sure that the business change readiness approach is complete? Louise Ledbrook has over 15 years’ experience in business and project management across a variety of industries. As a founder, Louise is able to help project professionals and organizations run more effective, efficient and successful projects. Find Project Stakeholder and Change Readiness related information at Projectcommunityonline.com
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