What is Change Management?

When you think about Change Management (CM), there two concepts to consider: the change itself and project management. Change Management and Project Management are two critical disciplines that are applied to a variety of organizational changes to improve the likelihood of success and return on investment. 

In general, the goal of change is to improve an organization by altering how work is done. By introducing organizational change, processes, systems, organization structure and job roles are going to be impacted. This is why creating change takes a clear understanding of what must actually take place to make the change happen. 

Learn more about Change Management Strategy and the change curve.

How to uncover a masterpiece by changing just one thing.

These are two commonly accepted definitions that help us begin to think about these two distinct but intertwined disciplines:

Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. It is accomplished through the application and integration of the Project Management processes of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

(From PMBOK® Guide, Third Edition)

Change Management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of change to achieve the required business outcome. It incorporates the organizational tools that can be utilized to help individuals make successful personal transitions resulting in the adoption and realization of change. In other words, Change management is a structured approach to moving an organisation from the current state to the desired future state

Why is Change Management so challenging?

Technology changes fast, and managing change is slow.

Both Project Management and Change Management support moving an organization from a current state (how things are done today), through a transition state to a desired future state (the new processes, systems, organization structures or job roles defined by the change). Project Management focuses on the tasks to achieve project requirements. Change Management focuses on the people impacted by the change.

Change Management: Revisiting the Threat versus Opportunities Matrix (TOM)

More and more, these processes are being integrated into achieving the goal of embedding a Culture of Operational Excellence within organizations, and are understood as a cornerstone of the Continuous Improvement journey. As Business Transformation becomes a key player in ensuring Operational Excellence programs provide and establish ongoing, sustainable excellence cultures, the process of managing this journey becomes more and more crucial.

Change Management Journey in Corporate Technology US