Change management in a context of software implementation has three components. To maximize its results, it is therefore necessary to have good communication, adequate resource training and effective organizational development.

It is essential to pay attention to the major changes that have an impact on an organization during a transformation project. Effective change management will allow the company, at the end of the project, to reap the expected business benefits. On the contrary, resistance to change could prevent it from taking advantage of the transformations associated with the deployment of new business processes and systems.

Learn why change management is so much more than a communication plan.

Part #1 of change management: Communication

From the start of a project, communication is important. Moreover, we must succeed in ensuring that the message is clear for each of our audiences. The expert team to manage change will therefore work to fully understand the decision file that was used to justify the launch of the project.

During project design (and even after), the change team should keep the expected benefits in mind. Afterwards, these experts determine the stakeholders on whom the project will have an impact. Conversely, the team also assesses the stakeholders who could have an impact on the project. It will be necessary to meet each of them for this purpose.

The next step is to identify the changes caused by the project and to fully understand how they will affect each of the stakeholders. A matrix will then be created and will serve as a basis for developing change management strategies to be used throughout the project. The strategies adopted will be based mainly on communication, training and organizational development approaches.

Part #2: Training

The challenges posed by implementation projects are more human in nature than technological. It is therefore important to dedicate the necessary resources to help stakeholders make their way to achieving the expected benefits. This phase of the project, seen as the training of resources, does not generate significant costs. The portion of costs dedicated to training is therefore minimal compared to the magnitude of its long-term impact.

Change management experts also contribute to the progress of the project team. The objective is to set up a successful (and trained) team as quickly and efficiently as possible: constitution, tension, standardization, production, dissolution.

Part #3 of Change Management: Organizational Development

IT organizations often suffer from strong impacts caused by the deployment of new systems. We can therefore see that they are often the major forgotten ones in change management. Why? Probably because more attention is paid to business units under the false assumption that IT will adapt.

The role of change management does not end when business processes are put into production. A portion of the team must remain in place to ensure that the expected benefits are achieved. This often requires strengthening the principles and decisions underlying the transformations deployed. During this stage, the change management team also supports managers in carrying out the required organizational development activities. Among other things, we can think of the movement of resources, the modification of organizational structures, the development of the workforce, the modification of several roles within the organization, etc.

ATTENTION !

Too many organizations start implementing a software package without getting help from an external team with expertise in change management. The result: disappointing figures. Indeed, many companies do not achieve the expected level of success and often mention that they will do otherwise in future projects.

Attitudes toward change management vary significantly from one organization to another. It even varies among the managers of the organizations in question. Some managers are skeptical about adding change management resources to project teams. It will therefore be important, for the project promoter, to convince them that these are essential resources for the success of any large-scale project. Their absence constitutes a major risk of negative impacts.