Change Management for (IT) Projects Learned lessons from 300+ ]project-open[ roll-out projects

70% of Change Attempts Fail Nearly all projects require humans to do work differently than before. Humans usually don‘t like this. Change Management is an approach of transition individuals, teams and organizations [the] desired state (Wikipedia). Change Management is the art to design and manage the transition as painless as possible in order to reduce friction and inefficiencies. (McKinsey)

Why Resistence to Change Human fears: –Loss of job –Loss of social status –Loss of privileges –Loss of control –General fear of the unknown Need to learn new tools or skills Leaving the „comfort zone“

Kübler-Ross Model of Grief

Towards the Green Pastures on the Other Side of the Dark Valley

Multi-User Kübler-Ross User A User B User C

Force-Field Analysis Steps: Identify all relevant stakeholders Identify forces for and against change Prioritise the forces Develop strategies to strengthen supporting forces Develop strategies to reduce, weaken or isolate opposing forces. Senior Management Support Middle Management Resistance Staff Resistence Staff Cynism About Hidden Agendas Lack of Resources User Support to „Clean Up“ Other BU Already „Done It“ Some Enthusiastic Users Supporting Forces Opposing Forces Kübler-Ross Users

Force-Field Analysis Steps Perform exhaustive stakeholder analysis. Take notes about the interests of each stakeholder. Prioritise the forces Develop strategies to strengthen or leverage supporting forces Develop strategies to weaken or isolate opposing forces.

Kotter’s Eights Steps to Change 1.Create a sense of Urgency 2.Build a Guiding Coalition 3.Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives 4.Enlist a Volunteer Army 5.Enable Action by Removing Barriers 6.Generate Short-Term Wins 7.Sustain Acceleration 8.Institute Change

Kotter’s Eights Steps to Change 1.Create a sense of Urgency Craft and use a significant opportunity as a means for exciting people to sign up to change their organization 2.Build a Guiding Coalition Assemble a group with the power and energy to lead and support a collaborative change effort 3.Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives Shape a vision to help steer the change effort and develop strategic initiatives to achieve that vision 4.Enlist a Volunteer Army Raise a large force of people who are ready, willing and urgent to drive change 5.Enable Action by Removing Barriers Remove obstacles to change, change systems or structures that pose threats to the achievement of the vision 6.Generate Short-Term Wins Consistently produce, track, evaluate and celebrate volumes of small and large accomplishments – and correlate them to results 7.Sustain Acceleration Use increasing credibility to change systems, structures and policies that don’t align with the vision; hire, promote and develop employees who can implement the vision; reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes and volunteers 8.Institute Change Articulate the connections between the new behaviors and organizational success, and develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession

Reduce User Resistance Involve users early in the process of designing the solution and allow them to „take control“. „Green Pastures on the Other Side“: Develop a convincing scenario for the time after the change and communicate to all users. Identify the negative aspects of the current situation and emphasize them in meetings. Negotiate with moderately opposing users and check if you can adapt the system to their needs.

Strengthen Supporting Forces Create Beach-Heads: Identify supportive users and include them in rollout team meetings as experts or in pilot groups

Weaken Opposing Forces Deal with individual users using Kübler-Ross tools Provide success stories of other organizations who have gone through the same change process. „Build bridges“: Create opportunities for opposing agents to join the project without loosing face. Apply „Five bases of power“: Use power to deal with remaining forces.

General „Build Trust“: Start with small steps or a „pilot system“ and celebrate the milestone „Shared Reality“: Make sure you understand and „live“ the reality of your stakeholders. They need to accept the change agents as „one of them“. Know when not to proceed: Don‘t execute the project if the opposing forces are too strong.