by Tim CreaseyHow do you establish the scope of change management, and why does it matter? By creating a working definition and scope for change management, you will be more successful and work more effectively with others in the organization who are implementing change. Let's get started.
As with any discipline or methodology, it is important to establish which activities fall under the change management umbrella and what work runs in parallel or conjunction with change management. The benefits of establishing a clear scope include:
In addition, there is an inherent risk of not clearly establishing scope. It becomes very easy for one group to believe that they are responsible for work that falls under the work responsibilities of another group, resulting in confusion and ineffective workstreams. For example, imagine the confusion that would result in developing a new product if there wasn't a clear distinction between software development, hardware development, physical design and system test. The specific skills and competencies needed to develop software are very different from the skills needed to design circuit boards or the physical housing for a product. In the same way, the skills and competencies for project management are specific and very different from change management.
Understanding the scope and boundaries enables both functions to work effectively together, and to avoid any overlap of activities that may create conflicts for the project. The boundaries also enable the separation of solution design, development and implementation from the actions required to manage the technical side and people side of that solution's deployment.
The schematic below presents a taxonomy that can serve as a discussion framework for the key phases or elements of implementing a change within an organization. It begins with the recognition that a change is needed and ends with the realization of the desired benefits sought by the effort.
| Recognizing that a Change is Needed |
| Objective: Identify the internal or external stimulus resulting in need for change |
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| Solution Design and Development |
| Objective: Create a solution to improve the performance of the organization based on the recognition that a change is needed |
Examples:
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| Solution Implementation |
| Objective: Install a solution that meets technical requirements and is adopted and utilized |
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| Project Management |
| Objective: Manage the tasks, resources, budget, time and scope of technical design and implementation |
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| Change Management |
| Objective: Encourage employees to rapidly, completely and proficiently make the required changes to their day-to-day work |
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While some overlap between disciplines is normal and to be expected, this taxonomy will be a starting point for discussions about scoping change management. This framework can assist with internal discussions about "who is doing what" and how can you make sense out of the many elements of successful change—from recognizing the need to developing the solution to managing the technical side and people side of the solution deployment.
The goal is to create an inclusive framework that allows the discussion to separate out the many skills that a change practitioner may have. They may be project managers or change managers, and may contribute to the solution design from the disciplines that are being used to successfully realize change.
Tim Creasey is Prosci’s Chief Innovation Officer and a globally recognized leader in change management. His work forms the foundation of the largest body of knowledge in the world on managing the people side of change to deliver organizational results.
