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Writer's pictureNina Keyrouz

Leveraging Project Management and Change Management in Improvement Projetcs

Updated: Oct 22


Recent research from McKinsey reveals that organizations with effective change management practices are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers. On the other hand, a study by the Project Management Institute (PMI) found that companies with strong project management capabilities meet their goals 2.5 times more often and waste 13 times less money compared to their counterparts

Change Management and Project Management, two essential disciplines that, while distinct, work together to propel success of improvement projects and programs. At XcelleratE CaaS, we integrate these two management disciplines into our consultancy methodology to support our clients implement impactful and sustainable improvements.

Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.   -Warren G.Bennis

Why the need for Project Management for consultancy?


Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, managing, leading, and controlling resources and tasks to achieve specific goals within a defined timeline. It involves applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements and deliver the desired outcomes, typically balancing constraints such as scope, time, cost, quality, and risk. 

This how we at XcelleratE CaaS integrate standard Project Management in our Consultancy:


  1. Agile Methodologies: Start with a small pilot projects when needed and gradually scale up the improvements to ensure your team is well-coached and trained in implementing the changes to your systems and practices as agreed.

  2. Well-defined Objectives and Scope: Each Project will have a developed Charter to document the objectives, scope, and deliverables. It will be used to measure and track progress.

  3. Effective Communication and Collaboration: We use online collaboration tools like, Microsoft Teams, Mural, Lucid with set clear communication protocols to manage each step of the project.

  4. Effective Resource and Time Management: Use resource management and time tracking tools to track resource availability, and adjust plans as needed to seamlessly support clients, adjust to their needs and avoid bottlenecks.

 

Why the need for an effective Change Management integration?


Change management methodology is the structured approach organizations use to prepare, equip, and support individuals to adopt changes that drive success and achieve organizational goals. It involves a systematic process that helps manage the transition from the current state to a desired future state effectively. 

This how we at XcelleratE CaaS integrate standard Change Management in our Consultancy, implement proven strategies and methodologies, to mitigate resistance, enhance employee engagement, and ensure smooth transitions during periods of change. 


  1. Change Management Expertise: We focus on both the technical and people aspects of change while crafting our change management plans with integration with project and improvement plans on which we work with our with our clients and ensuring that changes are smoothly and successfully implemented to achieve lasting benefits.

  2. Identify the Root Causes of Resistance: We work with clients to identify their current cultural characteristics, and then work on change management plans that engage stakeholders, especially tackle issues with resistance to change, provide clear rationales for the change, and involve employees in the change process to foster ownership and buy-in.

  3. Develop a robust Change Management Plan: The plan usually includes a detailed assessment of the change impact, communication strategies, training programs, and mechanisms for feedback and continuous improvement.

  4. Provide Training and Support: Develop comprehensive training programs, offer hands-on support, and create resources such as FAQs and manuals to assist employees during the transition.

  5. Continuously Monitor and Evaluate the progress: Gather feedback through surveys and interviews, and adjust plans as needed based on lessons-learned and feedback received.

  6. Sustain Change: Provide support to embed the changes into the organizational culture, reinforce new behaviors through recognition and rewards as convenient for the organization.

 

The Change Management Standard published by ACMP® (Association of Change Management Practitioners) provides a clear integration roadmap of key domains critical for Consultancy: Change Management (CM), Project Management (PM), Quality Management (QM), and CULTURE. 


We choose to adopt this standard to provide the needed integration for successful improvement project outcomes, smooth implementation within organizations and the achievements of benefits and added-value. 


The common objective of project management and change management is to add value to the organization. Each discipline uniquely contributes to the realization of benefits. Project management delivers the planned change, and change management ensures that the delivered change is implemented and adopted to enable the realization of the expected benefits.

Perfecting these intersections can enhance both project success and organizational adaptation. Here how this integration gets effective:


  1. Interdependencies for Success: Identify overlaps and interdependencies and document this in an integrated plan, including how the disciplines will work together, how information will be shared, and how decisions will be made.

  2. Overall Integrated Plan: Integrate all plans into an overall plan because individual milestones and activities may trigger one another. This will make implementation more efficient.

  3. Integrated Tools and Resources:  Integrate tools when possible to increase efficiency and collaboration between the required disciplines. There may be also opportunities to integrate or share resources (e.g people, hardware, software, finance…)

  4. Risk-Based Approach: Recognizing that risks can have a significant impact on the organization’s ability to deliver and implement change. Change management focuses on risks to the adoption of the change, threats to the realization of the excepted benefits, and threats to ing the change. Change management also has an interest in project-related risks, such as those affecting timeline, scope, budget, and benefits realization. Quality Management Systems, following ISO 9001 standard, follows a risk-based approach. Hence, integration risk management is critical for the success of improvement projects.


Contact us at info@xcellerate.online or Book a Discovery Session to discover how you can achieve these outcomes: 

 

Not sure where to start?


Book a free Discovery Session to talk to our experts and know more about how our services can help you Improve, Excel and Sustain.

 

You want to achieve a specific objective but you can’t afford it ?


No need to pay for a full consultancy service; visit our website www.xcellerate.online and choose what you need as our services are tailored to specific requirements.

 


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