The CM Checklist
The table below describes each of the components of the CM Checklist, answering why the element is important and providing keys to be successful.

Change management planning

Why is this element important?

Use of a proven methodology, process and tools was cited as the number two contributor to success in the 2005 best practices benchmarking study
Further analysis of the data shows a direct correlation between the use of a structured methodology and change management effectiveness
More people are using a structured approach – up from 34% in the 2003 study to 55% in the 2005 study

Keys to implementation

Use a structured and planned approach
Ensure that you have the necessary resources
Begin your change management activities at the beginning of the project, not as an afterthought or add-on

Change management readiness

Why is this important?
Assessments let you know where you are today
Assessments signal what you need to do next
The ‘right’ amount of change management depends on both the change you are implementing and the groups that are experiencing change

Keys to implementation

Don’t assess for the sake of assessing – be sure that the outputs of any assessment you do are going to give you important insights and impact your future actions
Customize your change management strategy and plans to fit with the specific change you are managing

Sponsorship

Why is this important?
Sponsorship was cited as the number one success factor in each of the last four benchmarking studies, over seven years of research with more than 900 participants from 59 countries around the world
In the latest study, nearly half of all participants rated their sponsors' understanding and execution as moderate to poor

Keys to implementation

Don’t assume your sponsors know what it means to be an effective sponsor of change – there are often gaps in sponsor knowledge
Sponsorship is more than signing a name at the bottom of a project charter; it involves active and visible participation with the project team, employees and other senior leaders

Communication

Why is this important?
Communication (while not the only element of effective change management) will be critical for building awareness and desire to change throughout the organization
Effective communication was cited as the number three critical success factor in the 2005 study

Keys to implementation

The most effective communication is face-to-face, as identified in the last two benchmarking studies – don’t rely exclusively on ‘broadcast’ forms of written and electronic communication
There are two key senders of change messages – senior business leaders (messages about the impact of the change on the organization) and immediate supervisors (messages about the impact of the change on the individual - What's In It For Me or WIIFM)

Coaching

Why is this important?
The role of immediate supervisors during change is critical – they are the preferred sender of messages about how the change impacts an individual and they play a central role in identifying and managing resistance
Middle managers were cited as one of the main resistors to change in the last benchmarking study – engaging them as coaches helps to address some of the main causes of manager resistance

Keys to implementation

As with sponsors, don’t assume that managers know what it means to be an effective coach – even some of the best managers are not effective change managers (without the knowledge and support you provide)
Give coaches the information they need to be the senders of key messages about how the change will impact individuals

Resistance

Why is this important?
Resistance to change by employees and managers has been cited as the top obstacle to project success in the last two benchmarking studies
The most common reasons for resistance are not tied to the solution you are implementing – they are often related to the current state and the (mis)information in the organization

Keys to implementation

Be proactive about managing resistance, identify what it might look like and where it might come from
You can often prevent or mitigate the most common causes of resistance by simply thinking through your change management activities earlier in the change lifecycle

Reinforcement

Why is this important?
If people revert back to the old way of doing things after implementation, you have not only wasted time and resources but your solution does not generate the benefit (or ROI) that you expected
Reinforcement is often overlooked on many change efforts

Keys to implementation

Reinforcement keeps changes in place – it is the bridge between the period of change (the transition state) and how things will be done after implementation (the future state)
Be proactive, systematic and explicit when developing the mechanisms to reinforce the change
Engage sponsors and coaches – they will be keys to creating the expectation that change will be maintained


Key takeaways

Be proactive about managing change

Don’t wait until it is time to ‘go live’ – you can accelerate change and minimize the disruption by thinking ahead
Be systematic about managing change
The people side of your change is too important to be left up to chance
Would you manage a project haphazardly? Then why would you try to manage change this way?
Be complete when managing change
There are several different dimensions where completeness is required:
The organizational tools you use to manage change
The timeframe for applying change management
The different groups involved with effectively managing change

Change management IS NOT:
Just communication
Just addressing resistance
Just training
Just sponsorship
Just assessing
Just identifying and mitigating risk
Just informing people

Change management IS:
A holistic approach to accelerating change adoption in an organization
Understanding individual and organizational change, and what tools you have to influence change
Defined: the process, tools and techniques to manage the people-side of business change to achieve the required business outcome, and to realize the business change effectively within the social infrastructure of the workplace.