Change Management 

Project Control Having completed our planning activity and mobilised a team of dedicated professionals through a well-defined execution plan, it is now time to ensure that our hard work is reinforced by a rigorous control and status communication mechanism. A transparent, iterative control tool helps to enhance communication, increase adaptability, promote stakeholder engagement, and contributes to the overall success of the project. At Cambridge Management Consulting, we visualise this control mechanism as a one-page project dashboard, documenting project progress against key milestones, capturing delivery risks and maintaining adherence to project time and budgetary constraints. A transparent communication of project status and the assignment of ownership of issue resolution helps to streamline decision making. It is therefore critical that dashboards are an objective reflection of the project reality. Far too often, project managers present an idealised version of a project, failing to identify or communicate the risks that threaten to derail an activity. Hiding issues is common, and can be for a variety of issues, which is why a rigorous control process is required to keep us on track. The creation of a Cambridge MC project dashboard follows a 5-step process: Goal Definition: The change dashboard should be a reflection of the business goals and change imperative driving the activity. Measurement Creation: Each measurable should be defined with a benchmark created to support an objective view of progress against operational targets. Visualisation: A change dashboard should be an easy-to-understand visualisation of the project measures that can be shared with all levels of the organisation. Control: Use the dashboard to control your progress towards the change imperative, with an appropriate review and communication plan. Adapt: Planning and execution is by nature iterative, and therefore measures should be adapted as required and subsequently communicated across the stakeholder landscape. Resources should be onboarded or released as dictated by the evolution of the project requirements. The use of a simple traffic light system helps to bring our dashboard to life, and communicate the status of how well team members are following our exemplary direction.

Lets Get Things Done Thus far in our Change Management series we have covered the nature of Change Management, how to initiate it within an organisation, and what to plan for. Now, in our fourth instalment, it is time to translate this preparation into action. Successful project execution requires a well-defined project management methodology, appropriate tools scaled to the job, effective communication, and a monitoring mechanism to ensure that changes are implemented on time and within budget. At Cambridge Management Consulting, we emphasise four stages for completing a holistic Project Management and PMO exercise: Scope Management Project Management Methodology Project Management Tools Institutionalisation Methods Scope Management Scope management is rarely given the consideration it deserves, but provides a unique opportunity to define the boundaries of our project, capturing not only what will be done, but also what lies outside the scope of our activity. One way to identify these components is through a scope document, capturing key criteria in a one-page overview:

Having completed a detailed Initiation activity, we now have to create the enabling mechanism that will support the institutionalisation of the change initiative within the company. At Cambridge MC, we take the planning phase seriously, undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the project leadership landscape, timelines, milestones, and key performance indicators that will be used to support project delivery. An effective planning activity not only minimises disruptions, but also fosters a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement. In this article, we will go through the four basic tenets of any Change Management strategy, specifically to develop a comprehensive enablement landscape: Embedding Change Methodology (Logical Levels) Change Architecture Development Change Leadership Landscape Organisation Engagement and Enabling Embedding Change - Logical Levels The true value of change lies in its’ successful institutionalisation . For change to be effective and sustainable, it must become ingrained in the organisation's culture, processes, and systems. To achieve this goal, Dilts' 'Logical Levels' model provides a useful structure for securing the institutionalisation of change. Dilts delineates six interrelated levels influencing human behaviour and their relationship to embedding change. Change efforts are most effective when addressed at higher levels of the behavioural framework. This is dependent upon the scale of the change being implemented, and the degree to which it will impact the nature of the organisation, e.g. changes in Environment or Behaviours may only result in superficial change. When undertaking significant organisational change, it is important to address the purpose of your business , and to support the evolution of the company’s mission. Through this process, you challenge the legacy assumptions that underpin the operational framework of the business, comparing how things are currently done vs. how they should be. We also review how employees relate to the business and the roles they fulfil in delivering the company vision. In addressing the purpose of the business, we create a context for change to empower Change Leadership and the creation of the Change Team.