Bob Dodge on implementing and sustaining improvements

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Change Management Can't be Done from the Back Seat!

Can you recall a vacation that you took in a car? Do you know that there were two skills used to make that trip; planning and driving? They might have been performed by the same person, but they are different much like Project and Change Management. There is a different pulse, or heart-beat to the two functions. I know that from nearly 20 years of experience doing both.

What do I mean by that? Think about the trip planner and the driver, first.

Knowing the destination, the trip planner determines the route; what highways and streets to take, how long it will take, how much time to plan for driving, eating, perhaps sleeping, and how many stops will be needed to get more gasoline. The planner’s job is to manage the logistics and resources (time and money) to complete the journey. They can predetermine the plan and then monitor the progress on their check-list asking, “Are we on the right route, did we make the right turns, do we know the next milestone, etc.?” This activity can be done from the back seat, maybe even take a nap between milestones; but it is essential none the less. Not done well, we might run out of time or money.

The driver, on the other hand, is concerned with the real-time dynamics of the situation, “What lies ahead and how will I respond? Based on my responses, and the environment (weather, traffic, speed, road conditions, etc.) do I need to react differently to any situations that might get in the way of a safe and on-time arrival? Do I need to make any changes in speed or direction?” This role requires constant monitoring of several variables, and on-the-fly adjustments to the way the vehicle is being driven. It is not a check list and there is much more at risk, here; our lives! You must be in the driver’s seat, and awake, to perform this role. The driver’s job is to manage the issues that arise along the way to ensure we get where we want to go.

The project manager is much like the trip planner. You have attended project meetings, where each meeting, the project manager asks, “How are we coming on our milestones? Are we on time, and budget? What are the next milestones? We can check these off as completed and we’ll see you at our next meeting.” Like the trip planner, the project manager’s job is to manage the logistics and resources to complete the project on time and under budget.

The change manager is having a different discussion when the team meets. The change manager’s job is to manage the resistance issues that arise along the way to ensure his organization achieves the lasting success they expect when they start their journey. He or she is asking, “What has changed about our change? What has changed about what we know about potential resistance? How are our change management strategies and actions (Communications, Learning and Rewards) working? What do we need to differently?” It is an iterative process; there is nothing to check off because we will revisit the same questions in every meeting.

You’d be real nervous if you got in the car with a driver who thought all he had to do is to check his wallet, watch, highway signs, and the fuel gage to make sure he does not run out of time or money before getting there! God help you, if he tries to nap or to drive from the back seat!

Change Management can’t be done from the back seat either! Hopefully you don’t take your car on a vacation without both planning and paying attention to driving. I hope you don’t try to implement a major change without both project and change management.

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