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Your presenter is:Alison Sigmon, M.Ed., PMP

Managing ChangeIn an Ever Changing Project World

What’s on tap for our time together today…

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Change is all around us

Types of change – it’s not always bad!

Effective change needs leadership and process

Change process described

Application of the change process

Wrap it up!

Change happens. In today’s global world, change happens faster and more frequently than ever and consequently that means projects experience constant change.

While rapid response and flexibility are critical to competitive response, stakeholders making that change do not always move at the same speed. Understanding the change process from a behavioral perspective we experience and others experience will ease the facilitation of that change.

Agenda

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Change – the only constant in

projects

Impact on you and others

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From strategy to reports to documentation to relationships, project managers experience a bevy of challenges that require a wide range of skills.

Work through others to get work done

Get results in nearly impossible conditions and situations

Manage without authority Spend 80 to 90 percent of time

communicating Navigate and leverage politics Build and support project

relationships Facilitate stakeholder interaction and

contributions Analyze data Sell ideas and solutions Manage conflict

Juggling never ends

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Things can get REALLY complicated!

And when you throw change into the mix…

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Change is a huge part of managing projects, and our attitude about it will drive the results and response to it.

We’d love for our plan to be etched in stone, but the reality is that it simply can’t be.

Anyone who has managed a project knows that the farther we look out at our project schedule, the less accurate the plan will be. This is the premise of Rolling Wave planning.

There are just too many variables and unknowns to prevent changes from happening.

Change is all around us…

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With the evolution of technology, today’s business climate has changed to keep pace.

The ability to manage and respond to change fast is now the norm rather than the exception for a business to remain competitive.

Rapid change is here to stay…

Change is moving faster…

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Change helps companies respond to shifting trends, but in the project trenches change can be experienced as a disturbance to our way of seeing and doing things.

Stakeholder tolerance for change varies. It’s important to be able to envision and communicate the possibilities of the big picture while managing the emotions that surround the upheaval of change.

Let’s take a look at how change may be viewed.

Change requires balance…

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The attitude that you and other key stakeholders bring to the project affect how others respond. How do you and the stakeholders on your project view change?

Does it feel like an interruption to stability or the start of a journey

Perhaps it seems like a response to a disturbance or a path to innovation

Maybe it is immediately experienced as a problem or seen as a great opportunity

Attitude can make or break…

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Thriving on change is fundamental to success as a project manager.

Understanding the nature of change allows us to work with it instead of against it.

But is all change bad???

Leveraging change to lessen stress…

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Types of changeNo, fortunately not all change is bad… There are two types of change:

Eustress – This is a type of change that is experienced as positive. You may feel excitement and motivating energy or anxiousness. Landing a new job or project, getting married, or buying a home are examples.

Distress – This type of change is usually experienced as negative. You might feel upset, unsettled, or angry. Schedule cuts, scope changes, and delivering bad news are examples.

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Changing conditions

The way you and others view change drives two main things:

• How quickly the change is responded to

• How fast stakeholders bounce back from the initial news of change

What can help? Understanding and respecting the process…

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Managing change as a process

Process will pull you through

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Change needs leadership and leadership needs process…

Whatever kind of change you have on your project, it’s likely going to present some challenge which means it’s also going to need leadership.

For change leadership to be effective, vision and process are needed.

Processes give us a touchstone that is a reliable and consistent point of reference as we move through uncertain times.

Touchstone for uncertainty

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Stages of change

Being familiar with a change process can help you and your stakeholders move through the emotions associated with it. While there are lots of change management models out there, this is fast and easy to understand.

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When chaos hits…experience

When people first learn of a change, it can feel a bit chaotic. They may experience the following:

• Swirl of emotions- Some strong, others not- Some positive, others not

• Overwhelming change may cause numbness.

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If it’s not a crisis situation, giving time for everyone to process the change will help them respond to it in the long run.

It doesn’t have to be long and protracted. Just give a bit of time for the information to sink it. After all, it is new to them. Consider the following:

• Focus on the feelings

• Talk about it with others

• Express your feelings about the change in appropriate ways

When chaos hits…managing it

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Finding clarity…experience

This stage is like when the dust settles after a violent wind storm. Information about the change has sunk in and people can process it. Consider the following:

• Change is incomplete

• Idea may seems disjointed and not cohesive

• Uncertainty is normal

• Team begins to assess the implications and impact of the change

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Finding clarity…managing it

Before putting a plan in motion, some people may need time to let go of the “old” way of doing and thinking about things.

Consider doing the following:

• Honor the past

• Research and gather information

• Visualize the future

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The Creativity Stage is a sign of some level of acceptance about the change. This is when people are beginning to think about how to meet the needs and demands of the change.

When moving through this stage, consider the following: • Deeper understanding is

established. Begin to “think outside the box”

• Team starts to consider how to respond to the change

• Questions are asked and challenges are faced in light of the new reality

Feeling creativity…experience

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Feeling creativity…managing it

The best way to facilitate stakeholders through this stage is to focus on the intention of the change.

Rules are typically relaxed during this stage while people run their cycles on how best to respond. Consider doing the following:

• Think outside your traditional role

• De-emphasize the hierarchy of the organization

• Find ways to stimulate new ways of looking at the situation

• “Play” with ideas and options – this is the time when almost anything goes

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Living continuity…experience

In this stage, stakeholders are beginning to live the “new” normal.

The change is integrated and people assume a “business as usual” attitude.

When moving through this stage, consider the following: • Move from the turbulence of

change to the new work reality

• New ways of working & behaving are established

• People look for ways to fine-tune

• Positive talk emerges

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Living continuity…managing it

This is a very organic stage that cannot be forced.

The nice aspect of this stage is it’s like a breather or a rest after what was likely a challenging and even stormy period.

Consider doing the following:

• Allow the continuity stage to occur naturally

• Not everyone hits this stage at exactly the same time

• Understand this stage will not last forever

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Stage experience & management considerations

As you move forward with using this model, keep these things in mind:

• Stages do not always go in order

• Stages cannot ultimately be eliminated

• Stages can be re-visited

• Stages may involve resistance

• There might be some stakeholders who can’t get to this stage

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Closing thoughts on change

Survival of the fittest

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A PM’s work is never done…

Project managers wear a lot of hats that require a variety of skills…

AnalysisDocumentation

BudgetingCommunication

TeamworkIntelligenceSteadiness

Time Management

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Awareness of the change experience and a process for managing it is just another way to keep a handle on the many things you do day in and day out to make your project a success.

Practicing process makes perfect (well, almost )

Wrap up…

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Questions???

Change happens. In today’s global world, change happens faster and more frequently than ever and consequently that means projects experience constant change.

While rapid response and flexibility are critical to competitive response, stakeholders making that change do not always move at the same speed. Understanding the change process from a behavioral perspective we and others experience will ease the facilitation of that change.

What we discussed Change is all around us

Types of change – it’s not always bad!

Effective change needs leadership and process

Change process described

Application of the change process

Wrap it up!

Thank you!www.systemation.com

Alison Sigmon, M.Ed, LPC, PMPasigmon@systemation.com

Twitter @alisonsigmonwww.slideshare.net/ahsigmon

www.mindscraping.com

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