Implementation change management

Change management is an initiative that occurs in parallel to the technical build of the solution. It consists of understanding where strengths and weaknesses are, assessing the amount of resistance in the organization, and then constructing a principle plan of actions and deliverables that bring teams on board with the transformation. Clients own the change management process and activities. The Pega implementation team will raise awareness towards the importance of change management and provide support as necessary but do not enforce change management in the client's organization.

Successful change management in any project consists of the following steps:   

• Prepare the approach
• Manage the change 
• Sustain the outcomes

Preparing for the start of a project means defining what represents success for the project, the expected impact on the organization, and the approach itself. You begin by establishing the team structure, the sponsor roles, and responsibilities for both. You build methods to collect feedback, analyze the effectiveness of the approach, and diagnose gaps.

Key deliverables during the Prepare stage include:

• The change management strategy.
• Readiness assessment.
• Sponsorship assessment.

Build a communication plan, and ensure adequate training is available. Individuals require support and coaching as they transition from their current state to the future state. Anticipate potential resistance and be ready to adapt your plans to manage it, minimizing the impact on the project timeline.

Key deliverables during the Manage stage include:

• The principal change management plan
• Communication and training
• Sponsor and resistance activities

During the Sustain phase, you analyze the gathered feedback and review the performance of the project. As needed, implement a corrective action plan, but the ultimate goal is to transfer ownership and ensure active sustainment of the project.

Key deliverables during the Sustain stage include:

• The reinforcement plan
• Rewards and recognition
• Change management closeout

The following is the outline for a table of contents of a successful change management plan. Activities one, two and six are part of the prepare phase. The manage phase is composed of activities three and four, while activity four represents the sustain phase.