Change Implementation Plan
The Change Implementation Plan (CIP) documents a comprehensive and structured approach to change management which is critical to the success of the Programme and the significant change it will bring to the organisation.
It identifies the various stakeholders who are impacted by the transformation programme and the extent to which the change will impact on their role and responsibilities and encompasses all the activities which will enable the stakeholders to successfully adopt the new tools & processes introduced by the programme and new ways to work.
The business change management effort described in the document will provide the various stakeholder groups information about the project’s purpose, scope, benefits, timeline and training opportunities as well as how an individuals work environment may change as a result of the Programme.
1st and 2nd Order Change
The Change Implementation Plan recognises and focuses on the difference between cosmetic culture change and the sustainability underlying change that looks outside the existing structures and paradigms.
To do things differently, we must see things differently. When we see things, we haven't noticed before, we can begin to ask questions we didn't know to ask before. The collective thoughts and observations of many can also contribute to breakthrough insights in innovation.
This different thinking is a mental bridge that can help get us from where we are today to what we aspire to achieve in the future. How comfortable we are with thinking differently, and the extent to which we take that difference, often defines the significance of the difference we can make. While incremental improvement is worthy of our attention, truly transformational change demands that we challenge what we do. We must seek to understand the process and impacts at the most discrete and critical levels, and redesign where opportunity is greatest.
1st Order Change
1st order change is doing more or less of something we are already doing, it just ‘moves the furniture’ and has a limited, if any, lasting effect. First-order change is always reversible.
First order change may involve some innovation but does not alter the basic mental model of how the organisation thinks and provides an improvement that only enhances the current state.
2nd Order Change
2nd order change is a qualitative shift that takes place at the level of cause and is transformative in its nature. Doing something significantly or fundamentally different from what the organisation has done before ensures the process is irreversible. Once we begin it will be impossible to return to the way we were doing before.
Second order change results when we think differently. It transforms core processes and provides the linkage between individual change management and organisational change management. It integrates individual change management and organisational change management to ensure continuous improvements after the practical aspects of the programme are delivered.
Developing your Change Management Plan
Prerequisites
- The information required to develop a CIP are the processes and procedures documented in the X4MIS Methodology "Compose" and "Manage" functions.
Completing the CIP
- As you complete each of the activities in the Compose and Manage functions, copy the key information and data from the tools into the CIP.
- Review the CIP as it is developed during the initiation phase of the project with the change implementation team to ensure it is sufficient and accurate.
- Present the CIP to the Programme Steering Committee (Governance) for review and approval
- Share the CIP with all programme stakeholders so they are fully are aware of the scope, deliverables, implementation and planed benefits.
- Enact the plan.
Once completed, the CIP is not a fixed document. It may evolve and change as the change programme progresses. Whenever the CIP is upated, ensure you complete the Version Control section of the plan. You may also need to communicate the changes to the Plan to the people/teams in the organisation who are affected or impacted by it. Use your discretion as to how and when this is done.
For example:
- If you are making minor change, like editing the Stakeholder Analysis section with updates to the group an individual belongs in (Early Adopter, Bystander, Resister or Casualty), then you may only want to communicate this change to the team.
- If you are making significant or major changes to the Plan, you would want to communicate this to the teams and individuals who will be impacted. The Project Steering Committee may need to approve and sign-off the change(s); the Project Manager may need to update Change and Project Implementation Plan (see below); stakeholders.
The way you communicate these changes should be captured and recorded in the Communications Plan contained within the CIP.
Download the X4MIS Change Implementation Plan Template
