Organisational Change Management

We follow and recommend to Clients that they follow six steps in the development of the plan for change, in each case starting with some key questions:

• Which parts of the organisation will be affected and to what extent?
• Who are the stakeholders involved and what are their roles?
• How do we communicate with everyone?
• Who needs training and how do we train them?
• Are we “changing the rules” in the minds of our people? (e.g., different performance expectations) – if so, how will this be managed?
• How do we measure the benefits we expect?

Who is impacted?

We work with the Client to determine the impacts on Business as Usual (BAU) and plan accordingly. In a typical PPM implementation, for example, we expect that staff to be impacted, to greater and lesser degrees, may include those involved in:

• Project budgeting, forecasting and planning
• Financial management
• Accounts payable
• Supplier management and tendering
• Project Management
• Construction Management
• Contract Management
• Reporting and Analysis
• Supporting existing Client systems that may be targeted for replacement by the PPM system solution

Who are the stakeholders involved and what are their roles?

Genuine participation in the development of the vision for a project is essential to ensure that all Stakeholder needs are understood and represented. This ultimately creates ‘buy-in’ and is critical to the success of any project. We work proactively with the Client’s team to understand the dynamics of the Stakeholder landscape and the specific tools appropriate to best engage with each Stakeholder.

How do we communicate with everyone?

The review of stakeholders will determine the stakeholder groups and the level of communication required with each. A communication plan is developed to map the various ways in which each stakeholder group will be informed, including frequency, medium and feedback tools. Communication methods include emails, web pages, newsletters, posters and meetings/events.

Who needs training and how do we train them?

We work with each Client in the development of its Training Strategy and Plan. Clients know their people best. The training outcome to be driven from the strategy is to ensure all users have the skills and confidence they need to perform their jobs from the first day of Go Live. Components of a holistic approach for sustainable change include:

• Process and technical training – operation and function of new processes and work practices, including the new PPM Tool itself
• Behavioural training to support changes to data collection and reporting
• Skills and capability building to support people in changed or new roles that may be required to support the new system, such as data administration
• Knowledge transfer to allow maintenance and support of the new system, including documentation and updating know-how for processes, system and training materials

As part of developing the training strategy, we provide input to the Training Needs Analysis (TNA). A sound TNA is crucial to the development of a training solution that meets the unique needs and requirements of each implementation. Our own methodology can be used to help to understand the gaps between the current skill-set of the workforce and future requirements.

Ultimately, it is end-user acceptance that is one of the most important factors for the success of rolling out an application. We strive to provide the best and quickest support possible for the end users. This begins with the proper training and support of the Client’s team that will be in charge of management of the application. Our goal is to train the Client’s staff so that they can be as self-sufficient as possible.

Actual training is tailored to the specific needs of each group. Executive-level training, for example, is relatively straightforward and not particularly time-consuming, as the focus is on the opening screen, dashboards and reports. There is no requirement for training in data entry, document upload, workflow creation etc. Usually the Client will have one or two of its key personnel trained and these parties then pass on that information.

Are we “changing the rules” in the minds of our people?

This falls within the broader category of cultural change that can be required according to the nature and extent of a new software implementation. For effective cultural change – embracing the vision and new ways of working long term – there are a number of steps that need to be taken. Qualifications of HKA Tech change management personnel include certification by Prosci® (CCP – Certified Change Professional). Prosci® has published an article on the importance of cultural change that is recommended reading.

How do we measure the benefits we expect?

Formal benefits management is required by some Clients. There are a number of benefits that can be identified – some being easier to measure than others. Benefits management generally is an area many Clients avoid for a number of reasons. We work with Clients to determine what best suits their preferences and their willingness to allocate resources to the process. The three areas typically considered are:

• Financial – often linked to the business case for procurement of the new software. Criteria measured can include time savings to reduce labour costs and savings from a reduction in errors.
• Operational – improvement in process times, improved employee satisfaction.
• Usage – improvement in system use, tracked through the number of users accessing functionality, performing tasks with and without assistance, general adoption indicators. The WalkMe Digital Adoption Platform provides out-of-the-box tracking and reporting on these aspects.