Guiding Through Change: Leveraging Organizational Change Management for Project Success

Imagine a project where everyone embraces change with enthusiasm and confidence. It's achievable when you use Organizational Change Management (OCM) best practices.

In our rapidly evolving workplace, OCM has become indispensable for project success by guiding our team through transitions effectively and focusing on the human side of change. It is crucial in technology projects such as implementations we’ve done with GIS, CityWorks, and Utility Network transitions.

While the technical side focuses on functionality, OCM addresses the human side – ensuring staff are prepared, motivated, and capable of adopting new systems and processes. By leveraging OCM, we can create a resilient culture where change becomes an opportunity for growth rather than a source of stress.

To ensure project success, there are a minimum of three OCM strategies to consider: planning for impacts, engaging stakeholders, and clear communication.

 

Planning for Impacts

Since change rarely impacts just one thing, OCM planning includes understanding how it will impact different stakeholder groups. At minimum, we need to consider the impacts to people’s roles, the technology they use, and the business processes they use.

When we worked with a large electric utility as they launched their Utility Network migration project, stakeholder analysis revealed various impacts across the organization. Some groups needed extensive training on the new data model, while others mainly saw changes in how they viewed and interpreted network data. Field crews saw different symbology and naming conventions in their mobile applications, while teams using the system for reference needed to understand changes in data relationships.

By working with IT owners, business leads, and user representatives, the OCM team developed targeted approaches for each group, from full training programs for highly impacted users to simple awareness communications for those minimally affected.

Engaging Stakeholders

Engaging stakeholders from the start is a game-changer.

When implementing a new asset management system a large municipal sanitary sewer utility, the project team engaged stakeholders across all levels, from plant directors to front-line maintenance technicians. They gathered feedback about workflows, listened to concerns, and involved experienced staff in testing.

This multi-level engagement shaped training approaches, system configuration, and workflow development, resulting in what the client’s project lead called "the least stressful go-live" they had experienced.

 

Clear Communication

Communication is at the heart of OCM. We need to be clear about changes – why they're happening, what the benefits are, and how they'll impact everyone. Communication is a two-way street: we don’t just tell people what is changing; we ask for their feedback.

When a Texas municipal electric utility needed to upgrade their GIS system, they recognized that different stakeholder groups needed different communication levels. For the core technical team who would be heavily impacted, they provided detailed updates in weekly project meetings. For office staff and field personnel who would primarily use the system for viewing data, they added articles in the company's quarterly newsletter to provide high-level updates about progress and emphasize how this upgrade would serve as the foundation for future improvements. The project sponsor also integrated updates into regular supervisor meetings, allowing information to cascade through the organization. In team meetings, we regularly asked for team leads to talk with their staff and relay concerns. This multi-channel, two-way approach helped ensure everyone received appropriate information while reinforcing the change's strategic importance.

 

Overcoming OCM Challenges

Change isn't always easy, and OCM faces its own challenges, like resistance or limited resources. The key is listening with empathy and highlighting the benefits for people. Including OCM in project planning ensures adequate support throughout the change. Success can be measured through adoption rates, employee feedback, and system usage reports.

 

The Future of OCM

As technology advances, OCM will evolve too. Future projects will need flexible approaches to adapt quickly and empower everyone to thrive in a changing environment.

 

Article originally published on the POWER Engineers website.