Change is an inevitable, dynamic and constant part of every organization and work environment that is waiting to be

implemented. Although the intention behind every change is different, the direction that a project takes once the change is implemented affects the end result of the project and impacts end-users. Due to its vulnerable nature, it is important that sufficient planning is carried out to accommodate potential changes as well to plan for an unforeseen change. A good change management plan takes time, coordination of multiples teams, tools, technology and resources and comes with some risks. There are several factors to be considered while making such a decision related to the extent of the change, risks and potential challenges that a change might bring through be it small or big.

Change also needs to be communicated properly through the right channels to all who will be impacted by its implementation so that the affected parties can prepare themselves for a change. Adapting to change entails a very steep learning curve and organizations must strive to develop a tone of normality when it comes to change in such a way that change is welcomed and accepted in the workplace.

A few of the reasons for a change could be to keep up with the current and competing market, developing and implementing advanced and cutting-edge technology, government and regulatory policy change demands or it could be the organization moving to its next stage of growth in order to keep with its strategic goals. Technology often tops the list of reasons for an organization change owing to the fast-paced advancements in technology and equipment and organizations become increasingly dependent on technology and automation for all their activities. This evidently leads to heavy competition in the market as all organizations strive to top the list of being the most technologically advanced. For technological changes, there is usually a lot of unknowns and such type of changes call for careful planning and research before any decisions are made.

Other changes that are inevitable are changes in the work structure and work culture itself. Every day, workers join and leave; this is a change that over a period of time becomes part of a routine change that it does not have any major impact on the functioning of an organization. The pressure of global competition puts organizations in a stressful position where they either need to find sufficient resources and funding to manage change or shut down. Change is considered as a major transformation for any type of organization and for any type of change involved. But, change is also not always welcome. Change may be seen as a threat in some cases and in some other cases can be seen as a positive move that drives the organization in the right direction. There is always going to be a certain level of resistance that is developed with any kind of change. The reason for this is most commonly perceived as the unavailability of sufficient information, incorrect information in circulation because of miscommunication and confusion, less participation in the change process that does not allow for a smooth transition as well as the inefficiencies in carrying out assigned responsibilities. Change is a transformation that needs to be implemented as a coordinated and accepted effort and should not be a forced act. It is not an easy process but unwillingness to proceed with a planned change can result in a stressful environment and poor change execution. Change, whether big or small can never be implemented over night and be done with. It should be applied in increments and followed up with. It’s all in the timing.

Sufficient research and studies need to be conducted to decide the best suitable time for a change to be introduced into the organization in the least risky and most convenient manner possible. Change plans need to be devised with a proper timeline that includes what happens when and which part of the organization is impacted when and how so the individual departments and teams can plan accordingly. If a change is introduced during the course of a particular project, it can impact the output and completion rate of the project and so project managers need to always keep a buffer for unforeseen and potential changes during the project. Before making the decision to implement a change, stakeholders usually weigh the risks, pros and cons of each aspect of the change and how every detail of the planned change affects each individual, team, the organization as a whole as well as others organizations and teams that are impacted by this change. A careful analysis to understand how such a change affects the performance, operations, growth, finance and other critical metrics of the organization calls for an active and united stakeholder engagement in every phase of the change. Leadership needs to ensure that the organization and its operations has sufficient capacity to handle the planned change. It is also the management’s responsibility to ensure such projects align with the organization’s strategic goals and mission before approving and considering for a potential change. All changes, even the unforeseen ones need to be planned and accounted for as sometimes in the middle of a project, there might arise the urgent need for a change to be implemented without which the project cannot proceed.

All phases of the change process plan need to be documented and that includes details from when the change plan was proposed even if the final decision is to not go ahead with the change. Document how such changes impacts an individual, team, project, internal and external resources/organizations and clients of the organization along with the reason behind the change, its pros and cons, risks and how best to adapt to the change. Post-change follow-up actions also need to be documented to avoid additional problems.

Change, because of its very nature may not be well accepted sometimes because of the way it is presented to the audience and therefore change needs to communicated with utmost clarity and vitality. Change communication that is often released by the management or stakeholders, shows that the organization is serious about implementing such a change and that they have a plan for why and how this change is going to be implemented. Disseminating information related to change in the recent times follows the trend of broadcasting rather than sharing where companies use internal as well as external network to ensure that the audience has received the intended information.

Proper training and continuous support should be provided to all impacted resources throughout and after the transition period. Reviewing the lessons learnt from previous implemented change processes within the organization as well as expert judgement of those who have been involved in such processes can make training a smoother task.

It is necessary to formulate a separate strategy when devising the change process plan of how each department, group of individuals, internal and external parties as well as other organizations are going to be affected because of the change and what measures need to be taken to manage the changes upon implementation. Before making the decision to implement a change, management must ensure that the proposed change is compatible with the business and work culture and its operations. Because if there are compatibility issues at this stage, planning for such kind of changes will take longer than expected and its implementation might be an inconveniently harder process.