Organizational Change Management during Project Implementation
Sometimes during a project implementation, various important aspects of the project may get overlooked or may not be given due attention. The application implementation team in an organization would work diligently to ensure that the Go-Live date is met, but they may miss out on some critical tasks that should be performed in parallel with the implementation.
One of the aspects that typically gets overlooked is proper communication with stakeholders about the project, its anticipated benefits, challenges, and its effects on the workforce. Similarly, organizations sometimes neglect undertaking a stakeholders’ analysis during a migration process. The importance of such an analysis can’t be undermined, as it helps identify the personnel who will be affected by the change and how each person may react to the change. This analysis allows the organization to brace up for any resentment and highlights the roadblocks and challenges that it may face while bringing about a sweeping change.
To ensure that the stakeholders (Management and end-users) are aware of all aspects of the changing environment, you must budget for and set up a formal organizational change management (OCM) process as part of the project implementation tasks. OCM is an all-pervasive activity and goes hand in hand with all project-related tasks, through each phase. There are many benefits of having a robust OCM practice in place and I will discuss these in detail in a following article.
