Painting a change picture

Projects create change. Ensuring that stakeholders fully understand the change is critical for success. The best way to do this is to create a picture of the change in their minds. Here’s what must be included in that picture.

The job changes stakeholders will see.  When one’s job changes, that change needs to be fully understood for it to be accepted. That means any tools, processes, and interactions must be reviewed and taught to stakeholders. Stakeholders should be able to demonstrate their proficiency with new elements of the job in a no-pressure situation before any change is implemented. 

How performance will be assessed. How a job is performed should change how one’s performance in executing that job is measured. The measurement process should be tested, along with the job process changes, to ensure you get accurate results. Once tested and confirmed, stakeholders should fully understand the process so there are no surprises when the project’s outputs are put in place.

The recognition and reinforcement of new processes. Changes at an organizational level involve many people. So, beyond understanding how individual performance will be assessed, stakeholders must understand how overall processes will be evaluated and how compliance will be reinforced. This makes accepting change more comfortable and provides a view of changes’ benefits to business operations.

Changes are seen from the customer’s point of view. Stakeholders need to understand what customers should expect from changes. This way, they can answer customer questions, guide customers to the best approach to meet their needs, and serve as advocates for the organization.