- According to Prosci (12th edition, 2023), a project led with excellent change management is approximately 7 times more likely to achieve its objectives.
- Change management relies on three pillars: communication, training, and organizational development.
- PlanAxion observes that the challenges of a software implementation are more human than technological.
- The work continues after go-live, until the expected benefits are realized.
The software package is delivered on time and on budget. Yet, six months later, supervisors are still maintaining their Excel files on the side, and the steering committee is still looking for the benefits promised in the business case. The PlanAxion team has seen this scenario play out in implementations of all sizes across Quebec. In most cases, the technology worked exactly as planned. The change management approach, however, was limited to a few announcement emails. True change management relies on three pillars: communication, training, and organizational development.
A project managed with excellent change management is approximately seven times more likely to meet its objectives than one where it is deficient. Source: Prosci, Best Practices in Change Management, 12th Edition (2023)
Why does change management go beyond a communication plan?
Because the challenges of an implementation are primarily human: informing teams is not enough; you must also equip them and adapt the organization itself. McKinsey & Company notes that 70% of transformations fail to reach their goals. Communication paves the way, but it does not train anyone or redefine any roles.
Industry benchmarks point in the same direction:
- A project managed with excellent change management is approximately 7 times more likely to meet its objectives (Prosci, 12th Edition, 2023)
- The same project is nearly 5 times more likely to meet or beat its schedule (Prosci, same study)
- 70% of transformations fail to reach their goals (McKinsey & Company)
A clarification is necessary: Prosci sells change management services, and its correlations come from surveys of practitioners, not an independent audit. They remain the most cited reference in the field, and PlanAxion’s field experience confirms the order of magnitude.
Pillar 1: Why does everything start with communication?
From the very beginning of a project, clear communication for each audience is the foundation of change management. A project management communication plan that is well-constructed remains the starting point for the entire process.
The expert team mandated to manage the change first works to fully understand the business case that justified launching the project. During design, and even afterward, they keep the expected benefits in mind.
These experts then identify the stakeholders who will be impacted by the project and, conversely, those who could impact the project. Each of them will be met with.
The next step is to establish the changes brought about by the project and understand how they will affect each stakeholder. An impact matrix is then created. It serves as the foundation for the change management strategies used throughout the project, based on communication, training, and organizational development.
Pillar 2: Why is training so cost-effective?
Because the portion of the budget dedicated to training is minimal compared to the scale of its impact on adoption and the realization of benefits. Implementation challenges are more human than technological in nature. Therefore, the necessary resources must be dedicated to helping stakeholders progress toward achieving the expected benefits. Training the project team is, in fact, a crucial step in any software implementation.
Change management experts also contribute to the project team's progress. The goal: to build a high-performing, trained team as quickly as possible by moving through the five classic stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
Pillar 3: What remains to be done after go-live?
The role of change management does not end when business processes go live. IT organizations often face significant impacts from the deployment of new systems, yet they are among the most overlooked in change management. This is likely because more attention is paid to business units, with the mistaken assumption that IT will simply adapt.
A portion of the team must remain in place to ensure the realization of the expected benefits, which often requires reinforcing the principles and decisions underlying the transformations. The team also supports managers in the necessary organizational development activities: relocating resources, modifying structures, fine-tuning staffing, and redefining various roles.
Cautionary note: too many organizations launch software implementations without a team of change management experts. Many fail to achieve the expected level of success and state they will do things differently in future projects. The project sponsor must convince skeptical managers that these resources are essential to the success of any major project.
Where should you start when structuring your change management?
By treating change management as a full-fledged project workstream, with its own experts, budget, and deliverables, just like system configuration. Even before looking to successfully implement an ERP system, clarify who will be responsible for communication, training, and organizational development. In the mandates PlanAxion supports in Quebec, this early decision has a greater impact on the project's trajectory than the choice of the tool itself. The required investment remains modest compared to the cost of a failed adoption.
[Optional for credibility: add an anonymized and dated client example provided by the team here]
Frequently asked questions
What are the three pillars of change management?
Change management in an implementation project relies on three complementary pillars: communication with each audience, training for affected resources, and organizational development. Neglecting any one of these three compromises the realization of the business benefits expected at the project's close.
Why is a communication plan not enough?
Because the challenges of an implementation are primarily human. The communication plan is only the first pillar. You must also train stakeholders until benefits are realized, and then support the organization through the structural and role changes that follow go-live.
When does change management work end?
Not at go-live. A portion of the team remains in place to reinforce transformation principles, ensure the realization of expected benefits, and support managers with organizational development, from reallocating resources to redefining roles.
What is the risk for an organization that neglects change management?
It exposes itself to well-documented statistics. McKinsey estimates that 70% of transformations fail to reach their objectives, while Prosci observes that a well-supported project is approximately seven times more likely to achieve them. Resistance to change delays adoption, prolongs double entry, and erodes expected benefits.
Moving from the tool to its adoption
A communication platform does not guarantee adoption. If your IT project requires clarifying roles, preparing teams, and supporting new practices, our change management support connects these actions to the go-live. It is about organizational adoption, not selling Microsoft training or certifications. Present the planned change and the teams involved to define the next step.