When working with organisations striving to enhance the performance of their field operations, we often encounter projects that falter early on or are already failing by the time we step in.
Projects or programs that necessitate organisational change are typically complex. Achieving success is incredibly challenging; after all, while you can update a scheduling system or modify an asset management process, the real challenge lies in getting people to change, especially when they are geographically dispersed.
Focusing on the initial "shaping" phases of a project or program significantly boosts its chances of success; unfortunately, this stage is often rushed or not given enough priority.
Without proper planning and definition, how can you ensure you're delivering the right outputs, outcomes, and benefits?
Many experienced project, program, or change managers might find this advice familiar. Yet, programs still often fail to get off to a strong start. Why? Here are a few reasons:
Organisations Often Focus on Maintaining the Status Quo: Major business changes require a different approach, especially in operational, service-based environments.
Lack of Knowledge and Experience Among Senior Managers: They might not know how to properly initiate a change program.
Delay in Involving a Qualified Program or Project Manager: Such an individual should be involved as soon as there's an outline business case and a mandate to address the problem. Early involvement ensures ownership and accountability.
Rushing to Solutions Without Understanding the Problems: Organisations often focus on solutions, including technology, without fully comprehending the problems and their root causes.
To avoid these planning pitfalls, consider these ten key steps:
Develop an Outline Business Case: This helps crystallise your thinking and secures a mandate and buy-in from your executive board. Do you truly understand the problem? Why is a specific business option the right one? What will be achieved at the end? What are the potential costs and benefits?
Secure Buy-in for the Business Case: Obtain a mandate to fund further work to thoroughly define the problem and explore potential solutions.
Appoint a Project Manager: A project manager is crucial for shaping the plan, establishing governance, and mobilising the necessary skills to support program definition.
Take Time to Fully Understand Your Problem: Identify the root causes of the problem. Key elements to consider include:
Operating Model: Is the organisational structure optimal with clear roles and responsibilities, or does it create barriers?
Processes: Are processes consistent, documented, and fit for purpose? How do your field operations currently work?
Systems: Is the technology in place to enable proactive, real-time management, or are activities largely manual? How do you compare with your peers?
Data: Is the data accurate, detailed, actively managed, and updated? Poor quality data hinders optimal decision-making.
People: Are staff properly trained and capable? Is the organisational culture conducive to effective work? How challenging will it be to change their work methods?
Prioritise Problems and Develop a Roadmap: You can't address all problems at once. Prioritise the issues to be fixed and develop a plan to build business capability in the most critical areas. Ensure that the costs and benefits of changes are favourable.
Assess the Best Solutions: Solutions might involve new technology, process changes, data improvements, and staff training. Avoid implementing advanced systems prematurely if simpler solutions suffice initially. Introduce advanced systems gradually as the business’s capability grows. Set achievable targets.
Create a Detailed Plan: The project manager should compile all the thinking into a detailed project plan (sometimes called a Project Charter, Project Execution Plan, Project Initiation Document, or Programme Brief). This document outlines the project scope, approach, timeline, costs, risks, team, stakeholders, and more.
Develop a Detailed Business Case: The project manager and sponsor should update the detailed business case, considering any changes in the problem, vision, costs, benefits, and financial appraisal. Evaluate which options have been considered and why they were rejected.
Obtain Business Buy-in for the Detailed Plan and Business Case: Just because an idea was valid three months ago doesn’t mean it still is. Get approval to proceed with the necessary expenditure to solve the problem and implement the solution.
Prepare for the Delivery Phase: This may seem like a lengthy process, but it can be expedited with the right support and processes in place. Assuming everything will fall into place by pushing ahead into delivery often results in wasted time and effort and a project that fails to deliver expected benefits.
As a consultant frequently involved in major change and transformation programs within the asset management and workforce management sectors, I wish clients sought advice earlier on how to shape their change programs.
Investing in support at this stage can significantly reduce the need for more extensive external support later. Helping a business improve its performance is incredibly rewarding, and I'd like to see more organisations prioritising the foundational steps for successful change from the outset.
Does your organisation need support with change management?
ConsultHD can help.
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