Define the Change and Build the Change Approach

Change management is the systemic approach to transitioning people through change so they are ready, willing and enabled to change from a current state to a new desired state.

The first step in change management is defining the change, which involves identifying what needs to be changed, why it needs to be changed, and how it will be carried out.

Once the change has been defined, the next step is to build the change approach, which involves developing a plan that outlines the steps, resources, and timeline required to implement the change. The change approach should also include a communication strategy that identifies who needs to be informed about the change, how they will be told, and what information they need to know.

In building the change approach, involving stakeholders affected by the change is essential - employees, customers, and suppliers. Involving stakeholders in the change process can address their concerns and perspectives, and their buy-in and support can be gained.

Essential Resources during this Phase

Although the change management framework is presented linearly, it is often a non-linear process that requires revisiting and adjusting as things evolve. The documents used are living documents, and it is common to recalibrate them throughout the process.

Change Definition Document

• Ensures the change is clearly understood and defined at a very high level.
• Identifies who is likely to manage the change and be responsible for the outcome of the change.
• It helps identify the tools and templates required to manage and scope the change details.
• Builds clarity and understanding of what is changing, how the change will impact people, and when the change will occur.
• It gives an initial view of the risks and benefits of the change.
• Enables an understanding of what type of planning is required and its complexity.

Change Canvas Document

• It engages people in the conversation to understand the impact of the change.
• Provides a visualising way to capture information, build engagement, and create ownership across change leaders.
• Provides an excellent summary on a page that can be used for stakeholder conversations.

Change Strategy Document

• Desirable for business change initiatives that are medium to high complexity and impact large business segments. 
• Details the change approach, customer and people impact, and change tools to support the deployment and alignment of change interventions.
• Considers Training, Benefits and Sustainability

Change Complexity Assessment

• Assists in measuring the scope, scale and complexity of your project 
• It enables you to plan and scope projects across teams, business units, departments, customers, and suppliers and rate the challenge of implementing change.
• Identifies the impact on:
  • Strategy and organisation structure
  • Leadership and culture
  • Communications and engagement
  • Process and systems
  • People
  • Learning
  • IR/legal and compliance
  • Investment
  • Governance
  • Risk
• Generates a complexity and initial impact rating, giving you an early indication of the resources required to support successful delivery and benefits realisation.
• Indicates which areas require more focus from the team, e.g., changes to capability may be considerably higher than changes to processes and systems.
• Indicates the depth of change planning required and a view of which tools in this toolkit should be used depending on the scope of change.

Case for Change

• At a high level, it defines the change initiative outcomes, benefits (including a change vision), risks, and issues.
• Involves important collaboration between the project/change initiative and business stakeholders to define and agree on its contents.
• Assists in confirming the Case for Change before moving through the subsequent phases of the Change Management Framework.

The Change Space provides a comprehensive suite of resources for experienced practitioners and those who want to develop their change management capabilities. The change management toolkit is designed to help individuals and organisations effectively plan, execute, and evaluate change initiatives, providing a structured framework and templates to guide the process.

Whether you work in the change and transformation industries or are interested in the field, The Change Space is perfect for you. Join us, build your knowledge and develop your skills to drive successful change initiatives.

Find out more here.