Project Change Management

Most change initiatives don't fail because of the change that's happening, they fail because of how the change is communicated. I've watched brilliant restructurings collapse and transformative acquisitions unravel… Not because the plan was flawed, but because leaders were more focused on explaining the "what" and "why" than on how they were addressing the fears and concerns of the people on their team. People don't resist change because they don't understand it. They resist because they haven't been given a compelling story about their role in it. This is where the Venture Scape framework becomes invaluable. The framework maps your team's journey through five distinct stages of change: The Dream - When you envision something better and need to spark belief The Leap - When you commit to action and need to build confidence The Fight - When you face resistance and need to inspire bravery The Climb - When progress feels slow and you need to fuel endurance The Arrival - When you achieve success and need to honor the journey The key is knowing exactly where your team is in this journey and tailoring your communication accordingly. If you're announcing a merger during the Leap stage, don't deliver a message about endurance. Your team needs a moment of commitment–stories and symbols that anchor them in the decision and clarify the values that remain unchanged. You can’t know where your team is on this spectrum without talking to them. Don’t just guess. Have real conversations. Listen to their specific concerns. Then craft messages that speak directly to those fears while calling on their courage. Your job isn't just to announce change, but to walk beside your team and help your team understand what role they play in the story at each stage. #LeadershipCommunication #Illuminate

In 2021, I proposed an initiative I thought was brilliant—it would help my team make faster progress and better leverage each member's unique skills. Brilliant, right? Yet, it didn’t take off. Many ideas or initiatives fail because we struggle to gain buy-in. The reasons for resistance are many, but Rick Maurer simplifies them into three core categories: (1) "I don’t get it" Resistance here is about lack of understanding or information. People may not fully grasp the reasons behind the change, its benefits, or the implementation plan. This often leaves them feeling confused or unsure about the impact. (2) "I don’t like it" This is rooted in a dislike for the change itself. People might feel it disrupts their comfort zones, poses a negative impact, or clashes with personal values or interests. (3) "I don’t like YOU." This is about the messenger, not the message. Distrust or lack of respect for the person initiating the change can create a barrier. It might stem from past experiences, perceived incompetence, or lack of credibility. When I work with leaders to identify which category resistance falls into, the clarity that follows helps us take targeted, practical steps to overcome it. - To address the "I don't get it" challenge, focus on clear, accessible communication. Share the vision, benefits, and roadmap in a way that resonates. Use stories, real-life examples, or data to make the case relatable and tangible. Give people space to ask questions and clarify concerns—often, understanding alone can build alignment. - To address the "I don't like it" challenge, emphasize empathy. Acknowledge potential impacts on routines, comfort zones, or values, and seek input on adjustments that could reduce disruption. If possible, give people a sense of control over aspects of the change; this builds buy-in by involving them directly in shaping the solution. - And to address the "I don't like you" challenge, solving for the other two challenges will help. You can also openly address past issues, if relevant, and demonstrate genuine commitment to transparency and collaboration Effective change isn’t just about the idea—it’s about knowing how to bring people along with you. #change #ideas #initiatives #collaboration #innovation #movingForward #progress #humanBehavior

I’ve had to protect my team in the past, particularly when their time or focus was at risk. I’ve seen this happen at companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, where mandates and initiatives would stack during the same timeframe. While each initiative alone might have been reasonable, together they overburdened the teams. Those compiled costs may be invisible to the folks driving the individual mandates. You may have seen teams get overwhelmed by a major release, a review cycle, and bi-annual business planning all at once. This type of time management stress is usually manageable, but there are times when teams can be stretched too thin and compromise morale and quality. When you witness this, I believe it’s crucial to step in. You will hear from your team and you need to be close enough to the issues to decide how to respond. This can be tricky for a leader: on one hand, you want to ensure your team can succeed; on the other, you’re part of the broader leadership and need to support the decisions being made. Sometimes, you have very little room to maneuver. In those cases, I find it most effective to have a private conversation with key decision-makers. Meeting behind closed doors allows you to present the reality of your team’s capacity without putting anyone on the spot. Armed with clear data or project plans, you can often negotiate more realistic timelines or priorities. Another common pressure is when stakeholders create frequent direction changes. Repeated shifts in goals or features will thrash your team and waste energy. This often reflects deeper issues with strategy, alignment, and communication. However, you may not have time for a complete overhaul of your planning processes, and you still need a way to prevent thrash. A short-term fix is to set firm near-term milestones or “freeze” dates, after which any changes must go through a formal triage process. This ensures that if changes are necessary, they follow a transparent, deliberate sequence rather than blindsiding. After the freeze, broader project changes can be considered. Ultimately, I see my responsibility as a leader as fostering an environment where my team can perform at a high level, stay motivated, and avoid burnout. Part of a leader's role is to protect their team’s capability and long-term health. There will always be sprints and times when you need to push, but you also need to consider the long view and put on the brakes when required. People who feel supported are more productive, more creative, and likely to stay engaged.

I've trained 600+ project managers over the last 3 years. From budding teams in start-ups to large-scale projects in multinational corporations. Hre are 9 challenges and recommendations frequently shared. 1) Scope Creep Management It's daunting when project deliverables keep changing. Without clear boundaries and pushback, projects will derail. Highly recommend reading "Scope and Requirements Management" and "Effective PM and BA Role Collaboration" to solidify your scope management strategies. 2) Time Management Effective PMs understand that every minute counts. Design an “Ideal Project Week” and schedule critical tasks. Risk assessment? Schedule it. Stakeholder meeting? Schedule it. Documentation review? Schedule it. 3) Stakeholder Engagement Project Managers need to skillfully manage stakeholder expectations. Instead of just updating on progress, send out agendas ahead of stakeholder meetings. Focus on critical discussion points, and be prepared to address the top concerns. 4) Resource Allocation It's tempting to bring in the best talents, but ensure they align with the project's current needs. Don’t bring in a high-level consultant when you need hands-on expertise on the ground. 5) Driving Team Accountability Inconsistent team updates and feedback loops can hurt a project's momentum. As the PM authority, establish regular checkpoints. Embrace the mantra: “Consistency is the heartbeat of projects.” 6) Clear Project Objectives If stakeholders or team members can't quickly summarize the project's goal and outcomes, there’s a clarity issue. Consider methodologies like SMART goals to crystallize your objectives. 7) Handling Conflicts Project disputes, if not addressed promptly, can escalate and impact delivery. Address conflicts head-on. Familiarize yourself with techniques from "Crucial Conversations" for effective resolution. 8) Budgeting Managing finances is critical. A well-told narrative about your project’s ROI and value proposition is invaluable. Understand your budget's narrative, including how resources are allocated, potential ROI, and long-term project benefits. This narrative informs future budgeting decisions. 9) Project Strategy Many project managers grapple with succinctly defining their approach. A clearly articulated strategy not only provides direction but aids in stakeholder buy-in. I highly recommend diving into the "Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)" to sharpen your strategic skills. How do you prioritize and balance stakeholder engagement with ensuring timely project delivery, especially when faced with conflicting interests?

Last month, I was facilitating a workshop for a group of leaders on how to navigate and lead through change. At one point, someone posed an important question: “Where do you think leading change efforts usually go wrong?” It was asked with genuine curiosity and what was unique was that everyone in the room was a people leader, but just as importantly, they had all been on the receiving end of change themselves, as individual contributors, team members, and participants in past transformations, both good and bad. To harness all that insight, we ran a “pre-mortem” exercise asking: If this change were to fail, what would have caused it? What surfaced was a revealing list of frustrations and patterns ➡ ️ Formulaic Approaches That Ignore the Human Side: There was a general agreement that change frameworks and models can be useful, especially at scale and for organization. But when change becomes a checklist rather than a conversation, it feels mechanical. Because change is personal. People don’t experience it in uniform ways. If we don’t make space for the human reaction, we lose the heart of the effort. ➡️  The WIIFM Trap (“What’s In It for Me”)We’ve all been told to lead with benefits, but several leaders called out how this can backfire. When the “what’s in it for me” message is tacked on as an afterthought, or worse, spun in an obviously false way, it erodes trust. Authenticity matters. If the benefit isn’t real, or if it’s only framed from the organization’s perspective, people will feel it. ➡️ Compliance > Commitment: While it’s true that you can mandate behavior, you can’t mandate belief or commitment.  Many leaders described being in environments where the focus was solely on  compliance, mandates, policies, new systems rolled out with minimal dialogue.  The result? Surface-level adoption at best, quiet resistance at worst. Commitment takes longer, but it leads to energy, ownership, and sustained effort. ➡️The Say-Do Gap: This one came up a lot. When leaders say one thing but act differently, when behaviors, priorities, or incentives don’t align with the stated change,that sends a loud signal. People don’t just listen to what leaders say. They watch what they do. Have you experienced one of these failure points during a change effort? Or figured out a way to avoid them altogether? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you.

I have had the pleasure of working on many IT modernization efforts. Mostly in a clean-up-the-mess role. Sadly, many modernization efforts fail. Here are some of the reasons I have found: 1. Lack of Clear Vision and Objectives: If there’s no well-defined goal or a clear vision for the project, it becomes difficult to prioritize tasks and measure success. 2. Inadequate Planning and Strategy: Failing to thoroughly plan the steps needed to modernize can cause delays, confusion, and mismanagement. Insufficient risk assessments, underestimation of costs, and lack of proper scheduling can derail the project from the start. 3. Resistance to Change: Employees and stakeholders may resist adopting new systems, technologies, or processes. This resistance can stem from fear of the unknown, concerns about job displacement, or simply a reluctance to leave familiar methods behind. Resistance can slow down or even completely halt progress. 4. Underestimating the Complexity: Modernization often involves implementing new technologies, processes, and systems, all of which can be more complex than initially anticipated. When the scope and technical requirements are underestimated, it leads to missed deadlines, budget overruns, or incomplete projects. 5. Inadequate Budget or Resource Allocation: Many modernization projects are not properly funded or resourced. If the project runs out of money or lacks the necessary talent or tools, it can lead to incomplete execution, poor-quality outcomes, or failure to meet goals. 6. Lack of Stakeholder Engagement: Without the involvement of key stakeholders throughout the process, their needs and concerns may be overlooked. This can lead to a mismatch between the project’s outcomes and the actual needs of the users or the business. 7. Overreliance on Technology: Sometimes projects focus too heavily on the technical aspect and forget the human factor. The belief that simply installing new technology or systems will automatically lead to success neglects the importance of training, change management, and human adaptation to the new tools. 8. Failure to Manage Risks: Modernization projects often involve change and uncertainty. Failure to identify, assess, and mitigate risks (technical, financial, operational) can expose the project to unforeseen challenges that derail progress. 9. Inadequate Post-Implementation Support: Once a modernization project is completed, ongoing maintenance, training, and support are critical for long-term success. Without these measures, even well-executed projects can falter as users struggle to adapt or problems arise after implementation. 10. Lack of Flexibility: The inability to adapt to changing circumstances or feedback can result in a rigid approach that doesn’t address evolving needs or unexpected issues that arise during the process. Let me know how Service Management Leadership can help deliver your modernization initiatives.

🙋♀️ How to Introduce Change in an Organization Facilitating transformation is a key literacy for healthcare leaders. In my role opening the new Texas Children's Hospital Austin over the past 3.5 years I worked with lots of young docs who wanted to start things — Programs, tech projects, unique service lines. I was their first stop. But creating something de novo in the largest pediatric healthcare system in the country takes an intentional approach. It doesn't work like a startup. This is what I told them 👇👇👇 1️⃣ Define the change You need a clear vision. 👁️ I do this with a 1-2 page executive summary. Something pithy, subdivided, visionary with clearly thought out operational steps. This should be developed (in your head) with a compelling elevator pitch for those critical hallway conversations. Remember that your vision summary is as much for you as it is for anyone else. You'll never know what you're thinking until you write it down. I never see the subtle lapses in my logic until I've put it on paper. 2️⃣ Create the value proposition Spell out why the organization needs your initiative. 🔡 Anchor your vision in something real: inefficiency, burnout, lost revenue, patient harm, missed opportunity. And be ready with clear benefits. This is where you help skeptical stakeholders visualize how good this will be to the organization. If you can create a sense of urgency it will help your cause. 3️⃣ Seek alignment Get key folks on board. One by one. 🚣♀️ I then disseminate this concept sheet to the highest practical level of leadership in the area want to change — in my case an senior or executive VP. This is key: I share this strategically with one person. The sense of selectivity that comes with knowing they were my first stop can be powerful . With buy-in from someone of influence, I then leverage this on my next stakeholder pitch to players who are more likely to help me bring this thing to reality. 4️⃣ Create proof of concept Show people what you got. 🎭 When you're selling something there's nothing better than evidence — the thing that helps people see the reward for participation. A living example; a brief trial, pilot, etc. In my organization you sometimes just have to bootstrap it and start in order to get to that first tangible chunk of success. 👉 Remember the bigger the organization the more likely you'll meet resistance. It's like gravity, only more annoying — You have to accept it and deal with it. Don't take it personally. Understand that pushback will come and counter with that clear, solid value argument. Persistence, consistency, and time are key elements in getting there — that can be the hardest part. 🐶 Eating the dog food — I just started a bold project of my own and had to use these steps. And every time I do this I learn something new. How do you start something? 📰 If you like this, check out my newsletter https://lnkd.in/g5GWsep3 #Leadership #Hospitals #Healthcare  #management

Early in my project management career: Kickoff meetings felt like one-sided lectures with me laying everything out. Now: They are a two-way dialogue. Here's how I transformed kickoff meetings to make them more interactive: Pre-Meeting Prep: I ask team members to come up with lessons learned from other projects that could impact this one. Strengths & Support: I ask team members to share what they expect to contribute to the project and what they need from others to be successful. Room to Grow: I state from the onset that not everything is clearly defined yet, and that's normal at the beginning. Questions Upfront: I leave dedicated time for questions and track them in a log for future reference. What are your key strategies for fostering collaboration in kickoff calls? Join the conversation in the comments below. #leadership #collaboration #communication #projectmanagement

OSHA requires companies working in hazardous industries to have a Management of Change (MOC) process. Any change can introduce new hazards, so everyone involved with the proposed change must be aware of it. They must approve the MOC and document it.   However, we have occasionally taken this process for granted and sometimes abused it.   The MOC process is NOT a documented email on a Microsoft Word document. It is a few emails saved somewhere. It is an interface where everyone can input comments and upload and download drawings.   Unless it is emergency work, you must follow the guidance below.   1-    You must include every discipline the changes will touch—Civil, electrical, instrumentation, environmental, whatever.   2-    Everyone involved must approve the MOC before the work starts   3-    You must not be pressured. If you disagree with what the MOC says, do NOT approve it. Contact the MOC owner and work with them   4-    You must upload all the documentation involved with the change   5-    The scope of work must be cleared and detailed   6-    When you approve it, you can't say: "I did not know about this." It is your responsibility to read everything in the MOC.   7- The work can begin once the MOC is approved and authorized for use.   8-    Once the work is done, someone has an additional task to upload the new drawings/documents. The MOC must stay open until everyone closes their tasks.   9-    You must upload all pertinent drawings/documents to the MOC system and your external database   It is dangerous when we do not adequately follow that process. I have seen $100 million projects being built, and the MOC was never approved. The MOC was written for 6 months and left hanging.   I have seen countless MOCs being left open for up to 5 years after the change occurred.   I have seen people approving MOC without even reading them.   If you see all the CSB safety videos, you can understand how a MOC could have saved people's lives. EEEngineering, LLC #engineering #electricalengineering #electrical #epassa #powergeneration  

Your project kickoff call isn't just a formality It sets the tone for your whole project. Too many PMs treat the kickoff call as a checked box. Quick introductions. Vague timelines/next steps. "We're excited to work with you." Then they wonder why alignment unravels two weeks later. The truth is, your kickoff call is one of the most high-leverage moments in your project. It's your chance to: ✅ Set expectations Who owns what? How do decisions get made? What's in vs out of scope? Make it painfully clear NOW, not midway through. ✅ Establish communication norms Weekly sync-ups? Email? IM? Decision logs? Align on how you're going to communicate and when early or you'll deal with chaos quickly. ✅ Spot misalignment early If goals or success metrics don't match, you'll hear it in the kickoff. But you have to be listening for it. Grab that confusion and pull on it until you get more information. Then facilitate shared understanding and align appropriate messaging. A kickoff isn't just a meeting, it's your project's foundation. If it's rushed or unclear, your project will follow suit. Set the tone. Own the room. Start strong. PS: what's something you ALWAYS include in your kickoff calls? 🤙