Reducing the Stress of Change

Change is what running projects is all about. However, many of us don’t pay appropriate attention to the factors that make change more stressful. The most common mistake project managers make is trying to move too fast. While you may have a few people on board, that typically isn’t enough to move forward. Way more than two or three managers need to be aligned and thinking that new process changes can be rolled out without creating angst. When dealing with anyone other than a very small team, change needs to be slow…it’s just how people work. In addition to going slow, here are ways to implement changes with minimal stress.

• Know whom you’re working with before you set the pace. Teams experienced in absorbing change will adopt new practices faster. Before you plan anything, take stock of your stakeholders. If most of them have never worked through a change initiative, you need to spend a lot of time engaged with stakeholders and explaining (and re-explaining!) the rationale for change. Here is the key: Start where your stakeholders are, not where you want them to be.
• Consistently model the behavior you desire. You can’t ask a team to make process changes if you’re not doing so yourself. The standard you set for yourself dictates the standard you will receive. This is especially true in low-discipline environments, as people will watch closely to see if you follow your own rules. If you expect documented requests, don’t grant a request if it isn’t properly documented. Be consistent, and you will see more consistency from your stakeholders.
• Plan frequent, small “learning moments.” The most effective way to introduce change is in real-time, while engaged in work tasks, when the lesson is immediately relevant. Pointing out that a stakeholder’s requirement will affect another team before it causes a problem — that’s a learning moment. Catching a scope assumption before it becomes a conflict — that’s another one. String enough of those together, and the team starts to see the value of working through change together to help make improvements.
• Build a coalition, not a following. First, you must get management engaged. Once you do that — especially with one who’s had a genuine win through better processes — ask them to help you bring others along. Someone who’s seen the benefits of successful change can help carry that message in ways you can’t. You’re not looking for compliance; you’re looking for advocates who understand what can change for the better and can speak to it honestly.
• Manage your own expectations. It can take weeks or months to clarify the best approaches to take when making process changes. Resist the urge to measure the project’s speed against some ideal state. The real benchmark is whether the things you want to change are clearer, better documented, and less chaotic than they were last month. That’s enough. Keep moving forward from there, and your change initiative will generate more enthusiasm than stress.