The journey of a change manager on a project is always evolving, with inevitable ups and downs, successes and obstacles.  On Friday October 20th, ACMP Vancouver board members, Kate Stern and Jeanne Towe, ​​hosted a breakfast change chat to share perspectives on challenges encountered and lessons learned along the way.
 
​Over waffles, eggs and (lots of) coffee, the group shared their experiences and project ‘red flags’.  Key themes explored included:
  • ​Visible sponsorship at the right level – Sometimes, regular access to an executive sponsor is just not possible.  As change management practitioners, we cannot underestimate the importance of a middle manager in the role of advocating for and supporting their employees through the changes.
  • ​Metrics – What gets measured gets done!  It’s critical that the project defines what success looks like and determines how it will be measured upfront, including the importance of qualitative feedback.
  • Build CM awareness at the project team level – Just because we know what we do, doesn’t mean our team knows what we do. Sometimes, we’re seconded to project teams where its members have little (or no) experience working with change management advisors. As part of our project onboarding process, it’s a good idea to build the change management awareness within the team, as well as define the roles and responsibilities of all project team members. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page, and eliminate confusion down the road!
 
It was interesting to hear the commonly recurring themes that came up in the discussion, despite the diversity of roles from those at the table.
Thank you to everyone who started their morning off early with us – looking forward to seeing everyone at the next event!