Seven Steps for Successful Change

Management Strategy
A Workable Process for Change
 Executive Summary
The Association of Change Management Professionals® (ACMP®)1
Standard for Change Management©2 provides a thorough guide to
developing a change management strategy. The Standard was built from
the ground up by a working group of over 1,100 change management
thought leaders and volunteers from 57 countries, each averaging more
than 10 years experience.
In this document, jTask Inc. unpacks the ACMP Standard elements of
change management strategy, and adds our own advice as experts in
Change Management, just as we do when working with our clients.
The ACMP Standard for Change Management separates the change effort
into five major areas that are:
1. Evaluate the Change Impact and Organizational Readiness
2. Formulate the Change Management Strategy
3. Develop the Change Management Plan
4. Execute the Change Management Plan
5. Complete the Change Management Effort
At jTask we think Formulate the Change Management Strategy is the most
important part of the Change Management process. The strategy needs to
be correct for any change implementation.
We have explored the issues to help you select the right approach in
each key step to build your change management strategy.

A New Approach to Change

As a leader of your organization, you already know that change is
inevitable. Whether it's changing one step of a process,
overhauling a department, or making a complete business
transformation, change is an important part of growth,
development, and success.
Of course, change is a complicated process, with the potential for
great success or failure. It's too important to leave it to chance, do
what you've always done, and hope everyone will get on board
with the change. You need a structured and comprehensive
strategy that can reliably bring you to the benefits of your change.

1. The ACMP Standard for Change Management was published by the

Association of Change Management Professionals in 2014. The entire ACMP
Standard is available at http://www.acmpglobal.org/TheStandard.
2. Italicization in this document reflects a direct quote from the ACMP
Standard.

2 Copyright jTask, Inc. 2016

The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) recog- A Word About Risk
nized the need for consistency of process when they recently published the
ACMP Standard for Change Management. This Standard codifies the best Risk is an inherent part of business
practices for managing change in organizations, and provides a solid and any change effort. The money
change management process. As change management professionals, and effort you put into your change
we've reviewed the ACMP Standard thoroughly, and are now management effort is based on the
recommending it to all of our clients. operational business risk. The higher
the risk, the more you need to invest
There are many change management models, and many different ways to in your change management effort.
manage change and transition. We believe the ACMP Standard is the best
guide. As we reviewed The Standard, we recognized that it would be useful There are several factors to consider
for professionals facing a change to have access to a detailed breakdown to determine the operational risk.
of one section of The Standard—developing the change management These include:
strategy.  the strength of the case for change
The ACMP Standard recommends creating a change management  the required amount of sponsor-
strategy that encompasses seven distinct areas of focus. At jTask Inc., we ship engagement
bring our considerable experience to The Standard, giving our clients our
best advice to get the most out of it. The Standard identifies where strategy  the degree to which the success of
is needed, We provide the things to consider in yours, based on our the project depends on behavior
experience. changes
Within your organization, there are already people and groups with  the degree to which the success of
knowledge domains for the change team to draw on in order to be most the project depends on stakehold-
effective. The people within your organization with sales, marketing, ers learning a new skill
communication, training and project management skills all have knowledge
that can help inform and improve the change management process,  how much the change affects
including creating your strategy. For example, learning specialists can stakeholders, customers, and ven-
consult on your learning and development strategy, sales and marketing dors
specialists can coach you in engaging executive sponsors, and project  the amount of financial impact the
managers can share their experience in managing complex scheduling change has on the organization
requirements. Take advantage of this knowledge.
 the amount of prior experience the
organization has with change
When you understand the operational
business risk of your change, you will
CONTENTS see where to expend the most effort.
You may determine that there are ar-
eas of your strategy that will not re-
quire any effort at all.
Executive Summary 2
A New Approach to Change 2 When your analysis of the risk deter-
Get Strategic 4 mines that no effort should be ex-
Seven Steps 4 pended in a particular area, it is im-
Communication 4 portant to document these decisions,
Sponsorship 6 so that as the change is implemented
Stakeholder Engagement 8 all key team members and executives
Change Impact and Readiness 8 can understand the strategy.
Learning and Development 9

Measurement and Benefit Realization 10

Sustainability 11

About jTask 12

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What About Workstreams? Get Strategic
The ACMP Standard briefly discuss- Our experience has shown us that some approaches aren't strategic
es change management work- enough—they aren't comprehensive, they may not offer benchmarks or
streams and highlights a list of them other measures, or they may leave out entire areas that are essential to
that includes sponsor accountabili- managing a change. This leaves your organization open to avoidable
ties and activities, leadership align- problems with the change, including:
ment, stakeholder engagement,
communication, organization and  Incomplete user adoption
process design, culture and behav-
ior change, impact assessment and  Unrealized benefits of the change
management, readiness planning,  A change management process that is longer than necessary
learning and development, perfor-
mance management, risk manage-  Wasted time and resources, and a loss of productivity
ment, and benefit realization and  Frustrated, disengaged stakeholders
sustainability management.
Instead of taking unnecessary chances with your change management
As defined areas of your change process, using a comprehensive and strategic method will give you the
management strategy, workstreams best opportunities to see the benefits of your change in reality.
can help you evaluate the status of
your change management plan. You
can use workstreams in a number
of areas of your strategy. For exam-
The Seven Steps to a Successful Change
ple in the sustainability area, you Management Strategy
could list your workstreams and
then determine what your approach The seven areas the ACMP Standard identifies as crucial to a change
is against each workstream over a management strategy are:
quarter by quarter timeline, for a
one or two year period. 1. communication

. 2. sponsorship
3. stakeholder engagement
4. change impact and readiness
5. learning and development
6. measurement and benefits realization
7. sustainability
After you have selected your strategy in all your areas identified in the
ACMP Standard you will be able to develop your change management
plan. Strategies do not need long and complex. The most successful
are often the simplest. As you develop you strategy it is often about what
you decide not to include not what you include.

1. Develop the Communication Strategy

Part of the reason people often resist change is because they don't
understand exactly what is happening. By defining the strategy of how
you will communicate the change throughout the change management
process, you will provide a consistent, well-timed message.

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Developing the communication strategy ensures that the organization
and its customers are aware of and understand the organizational
rationale for the change; ensures that stakeholders are aligned
regarding the program's expected value and benefits to the
organization, initiation, progress, challenges, achievements, completion,
and realized benefits.
Coaching sponsors and executives in your communication strategy
prevents misunderstandings that can impact your change effort. Imagine
that you have created a communication strategy that entails beginning
change communication with different regions at different times. While
change communication has begun at your headquarters already, it won't
roll out in some regions for a few more months. If executives who aren't
coached in the communication strategy go on a roadshow, only to find
out that employees in one of these regions seem to know nothing about
the change, they may draw incorrect and damaging conclusions. They
might think the change management team is unfocused or behind on
communicating the change to this region. If they haven't been trained in
communicating the change, they may try to update this group of
employees on their own, deviating from the messaging that has been
decided on. Instead, if they understand that the plan is to begin change
communication to that region later on in the process, this can be
avoided. If they are coached in what to say about the change, your effort
can continue smoothly, without misinformation.
Your communication strategy will play a large role in how stakeholders
regard your project. It establishes what they will know, when they will
know it, and how the information will get to them. A detailed
communication strategy saves a lot of trouble—it keeps everyone on the
same, correct page.
A communication strategy is best when it is:
Specific – Your strategy should include as much detail as possible,
especially about deliverables. Simply deciding to include a monthly
email newsletter is not enough. “Newsletter” could mean different things
to different people. Instead, describe the deliverable you will create. “A
monthly email newsletter with a 2-3 paragraph project report from Jean
and one photograph” lets everyone know what to expect.
Based on Past Success – If you know for a fact that your staff regularly
misses emails, but responds well to reports from team leads, sending
them emails is not going to help your change management. Instead,
look at the modes of communication that have worked best in the past,
and plan with those.
Clear About Timing and Schedules – One of the first things to
communicate to your stakeholders is exactly how often they can expect
to hear about the change. The frequency of communication may be
different for different groups of stakeholders, depending on their
involvement in the change, or its impact on them. Your strategy should
spell this out explicitly. With clear expectations about when they'll be
updated on the change, you'll avoid the dreaded response: “Oh, is that
still happening? I hadn't heard about it in awhile, so I didn't know.”

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 Inclusive of Crisis Communications – All communication strategies
should include a crisis communication item. If there are elements of the
change that could lead to an organizational crisis, consider how you'll
talk about them before they happen. Identify when and how key
stakeholders will be informed of the situation, language used to describe
the situation, and how the information will be released within your
organization, and externally, if appropriate. No one likes to consider
worst-case scenarios at the beginning of something new, but if the worst
does happen, this preparation will be invaluable.
A thorough communication strategy that encompasses these elements
will save you a lot of troubleshooting. When people don't know what to
expect from a change in the workplace, they tend to move right onto
rumor and speculation, as well as becoming suspicious of the change.
Your communication strategy clarifies marketing the program within all
groups of stakeholders. Executives should be trained in the
communication strategy to make sure they know what to say about the
change and are delivering it properly. Change agents, trusted people
from different areas of the organization who function as peer leaders, can
use the communication strategy to market the change within their peer
group while staying on message.

2. Develop the Sponsorship Strategy

For the purposes of this document, a sponsor is the person or group
accountable for the realization of the benefits of the change. A sponsor is
a distinct sub-set of stakeholders. While others will have responsibility for
Who is the Sponsor of the the change, the sponsor’s accountability will last beyond the completion
Change? of the change management process.
To determine who the sponsor is, it A Sponsors can make or break a project, because everyone else will
may be useful to think about the take their cue from the sponsor. Stakeholders want to learn about the
future state of your change. After change and the reasons for the change from the sponsors. They
the change management process determine how important the change is from the importance the sponsor
has been completed, which person places on it.
or group will still be accountable for Due to their high-level position within the organization, the sponsor is
realizing the benefits of the able to build support for the change at all levels. The sponsor provides
change? the resources and budget for the change, sets expectations, and holds
The individual or group in the or- the organization and individuals accountable during the change. The
ganization accountable for the reali- sponsor can identify risks associated with resistance to the change, but,
zation of the benefits of a change is unlike other roles, has the authority to mitigate those risks, break down
the sponsor. While many people or barriers and remove obstacles that restrict change implementation.
groups may bear some The sponsorship strategy describes how to align the sponsor to support
responsibility for the change during and own the change. This is crucial to success, because without a
the process, most will have reduced strategy, the change is dependent upon the natural ability or inclination of
their time or ended it after the the sponsor to support the change. With a strategy in place, appropriate
change has been completed. The care can be taken to make sure the sponsor is communicating and
sponsor will need to continue to supporting the change in a useful and effective way.
invest in the change to ensure the
benefits are realized.

6 Copyright jTask, Inc. 2016

The sponsorship strategy should include:
 A plan for coaching or training the sponsor in communicating the
change—For sponsors to be successful, they need to know how to
communicate the change. They must be fluent in the impact of the
change and its expected benefits. They must understand the goals
of their communication and its relevance to each of the audiences to
whom they present it.
 Opportunities to ensure the sponsor is engaged and cascading
information correctly—Wherever possible, we recommend face-to-
face meetings and workshops to coach the sponsor. This gives
sponsors the opportunity to practice delivering the message, and
gives you the opportunity to make sure their messaging and
knowledge are correct. It also gives the opportunity to help the
sponsors package the information in the best ways to reach each
group of stakeholders. This support should be continuous from the
very beginning of the project until the change is implemented, and
even after. The impact of the sponsor is too important to leave them
to their own devices and hope for the best.
 A solution for a potentially disengaged or resistant sponsor—As the
person or group accountable for the realization of the benefits of the
change, it is usually in the best interest of the sponsor to engage
with and support the change. Sometimes, however, for whatever
reason, they won't. If you observe the potential for this behavior, you
need to view it as the significant risk it is. Determine the appropriate
level of team executive to engage with the sponsor directly, and
identify actions to reduce the risk of the situation.

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Change Agents 3. Develop the Stakeholder
Change agents are another Engagement Strategy
stakeholder group, that are
selected to support the project A stakeholder is an individual who is affected by the change. Some
team implementing the change. stakeholders, like your employees, may have the day-to-day duties
They are generally people who of their jobs affected by the change. Others, like partnering vendors,
will be affected by the change. may observe minimal differences when the change is implemented,
They are trusted, knowledgeable, or the reverse could be true. Each stakeholder must be engaged with
and influential within the the change according to the amount of impact the change will have
organization. They communicate on them.
and model the change to peers, A stakeholder engagement strategy will describe how to engage
and provide feedback on the individuals or groups impacted by a change and those who can
change. They are not accountable positively affect the overall success of the change in the change
for the benefits of the change as effort. Stakeholder engagement is essential to eventual user
sponsors are, but they play a adoption. Stakeholders who are engaged throughout the change
large role in engaging their fellow management process are people who are ready for the change. This
stakeholders in the change. readiness lays the groundwork for the user adoption and benefits
you're hoping to realize.
On large projects, it may be impossible to engage with every single
stakeholder. In these instances, we recommend engaging with key
stakeholder groups who will carry the message to the rest. On
projects of all sizes create a change agent strategy of engagement,
by matching the stakeholder relationship ownership to the level of
stakeholders.
When deciding on the amount and frequency of engagement with
each stakeholder group, consider the perceived risk of the individual
or group not supporting the planned change. How much damage
would be done if they did not adopt the change? The amount,
frequency and governance of engagement should be in direct
proportion to that potential: the higher the risk of adoption the more
engagement is required.

4. Develop the Change Impact and

Readiness Strategy
The Change Impact and Readiness Strategy defines the approach,
scope, roles, and responsibilities in undertaking detailed impact analysis
and readiness planning for implementation of the change. It is divided
into two sections, change impact and readiness.
To understand the impact of a change, it is essential to understand the
how the change affects people, processes, tools, organization structure,
job roles, and technology. This specific understanding will influence
every part of your strategy and is critical to the success of change
projects.

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Without a strategy for addressing the change impact, you are set up for
surprises at every turn. Seemingly small things can end up changing
entire job descriptions, rerouting processes, or causing unplanned
expenses that bring you over budget. Moreover, this kind of unforeseen
impact can have a negative influence on stakeholder engagement and
general perception of the change—instead of the message you're trying
to communicate, you're sending the message that you didn't really think
it through. By understanding the impact of the change, you'll ideally
solve problems before they actually occur. You'll be able to answer
questions when they're raised, and make the change as smoothly as
possible.
Once you've figured out the impact of the change, we recommend
creating an impact statement. The level of detail should be matched to
its intended audience and how many changes affect them. It should be
agreed upon by the entire team. Most helpfully, it should include a
summary list or tables of all changes. Having access to this impact
statement allows stakeholders to understand exactly what the change
means for them.
Readiness is the second section of this strategy. It’s important to verify
the organization is ready for the change. To do this you should evaluate
the completion of effort in each of the change management
workstreams. Have all communications been sent, has all Learning and
Development Activities completed.
Together, the elements of change impact and readiness will form a sure
foundation on which to build your change. Without them, the rest of your
strategy will be groundless.

5. Develop the Learning and

Development Strategy
The learning and development strategy defines the knowledge, skills,
and competencies required for stakeholders to adopt the change. These
components determine what kind of learning and development programs
should be undertaken, including, but not limited to, training courses.
Some change efforts may require extensive learning and development Possible Learning and
for stakeholders to successfully adopt the change, while others may be Development Methods from the
minimal. However, it is important to consider what your stakeholders will ACMP Standard:
need to be able to do or understand for the change to be successful and  Instructor-led (face-to-face and
how you intend to present that information to them. virtual)
The type of training is determined by the type of change and the level of  Computer-based
risk involved. Changes that pose a serious risk to safety or productivity  Webcasts/Podcasts
usually require more extensive training. In these instances, you may find  Role plays
your require hands-on training sessions, supervision, and assessments
to ensure that the level of training is adequate to the change. Lower risk  Simulations
changes may only require a single seminar, or completing a self-guided  On-the-job
training module.  Gamification

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When Your Measures Show 6. Develop the Measurement and Benefits
You're Not on Track Realization Strategy
Your measurement and benefits The Measurement and Benefits Realization Strategy provides timely
realization strategy should include information to gauge the effectiveness of the change strategy, keep the
courses of action for when you change implementation on track, allow for course correction, and ensure
observe slowness in reaching a that benefits of the change actually occur. The Standard divides this
goal or slippage from a target, aspect of change management strategy into three parts:
It is also wise to include an
approach to revising or replacing
1. Measurement strategy for the change.
performance targets if you learn 2. Measurement strategy for the effectiveness of the change
the old ones are no longer management strategy.
relevant.
3. Benefits realization strategy
The first part of the measurement strategy involves setting targets based on
the goals of the change and its expected benefits. They should be
quantifiable and specific. This part of the measurement strategy ensures
that everyone within the organization has a shared understanding of what is
or is not successful. We recommend you develop these targets in
consultation with project and subject matter experts.
It is likely you will want to include both user adoption and behavioral
change in your Measurement Strategy. Each supply you with important
information about the change. Indicators of user adoption like clicks on a
web link and logins to a new program show you whether or not the
change is being made. Indicators of behavioral change demonstrate
how the change is being made, and if existing behaviors have been
replaced by the desired ones. The important part of identifying the
benefits is to convert them to goals and associated metrics that can be
measured.
The second part of the measurement strategy is to measure the
effectiveness of the change management strategy itself, while it is
happening. This allows for course correction if something is not working
out and the option of refining the process for greater success.
Incorporate stakeholder surveys, focus groups, and other mechanisms
for feedback during the process to make sure the change management
strategy is working the way you want it to.
Finally, you'll need to consider your benefits realization strategy. A
benefit can be understood to be any desired outcome of a change.
Realization of the benefits, then, is achieving these expected outcomes.
While you cannot measure the benefits before the change happens, you
can determine who will own each target, the method and frequency of
data collection and reportage, and how you'll communicate your
performance targets to the rest of the organization.

7. Develop the Sustainability Strategy

Before you've even started the change effort, it is important to consider
what happens after implementation. The sustainability strategy
describes how the change will become part of the organization's normal

10 Copyright jTask, Inc. 2016

functioning. At some point, the change will no longer be a change—it will
just be the way things are. To be sustainable, it must be decided how
the change will continue to be managed after the initial change
management process and how the various workstreams will continue.
This ensures that the benefits of the change will continue to be realized.
Once the change is implemented the support of the change sponsors
will remain very important. The sponsor continues to be accountable for
the benefits of the change, and must be engaged in reviewing the
expected measurements, rewarding successes, and taking corrective
action if measures are not met or the change goes off-course.
The sustainability strategy serves the critical function of preventing an
eventual drop off in user adoption. Without a strategy for sustaining the
change, you run the risk of users gradually transitioning back to previous
behavior, or otherwise jeopardizing the benefits of the change. This is
particularly dangerous if funding and resources are reduced. It is
common for activities like proactive communication and training to be
eliminated if funding is cut, but these are part of what makes a change
sustainable. If your resources are reduced, carefully watch for changes
in the measurements of your benefits. If you see an
area where benefits are beginning to reduce, focus
your efforts there.
Succeeding with the Seven Steps of Strategy
Leading an organizational change or business
transformation can be daunting, but with a solid strategy,
you'll put yourself in the best position to succeed. We
believe the ACMP Standard for Change Management
provides a thorough guide to developing a strategy.

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About jTask
jTask, Inc. is a Silicon Valley based corporation. We provide Change Management consulting, software, and
training to organizations that need Change Management support to accomplish and realize the benefits of their
Business Transformation.
jTask consultants are trained in Change Management standards developed by the Association for Change
Management Professionals. We use our own cloud-based software, to accelerate the process, allowing our
customers and us to focus on the value add activities.
Whether you need to set up a change management function within your organization or need change
management support on a project, jTask stands ready to help you successfully realize the return on your
investment in Change.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Roger Watson
jTask, Inc.
555 Bryant St PMB 710
Palo Alto, CA 94301
877 535 1125
[email protected]
jtask.com
@jTaskOCM

12 Copyright jTask, Inc. 2016