The other day I went to a seminar with a group of IT Project managers to hear a prof. from SFU (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver) speak about his research into project management. Surveying project managers in the UK, US & Canada there were some surprising results. Interestingly enough, the big take away for me from that lecture focused around change management and creating business value through projects. (Presentation)
It seems like people don't put enough emphasis on things that are not perceived to be of value to a business. Projects such as installing a new software system are easily identified as adding value to an organization but when you look at things like doing a 'social' activity with the project team it is not as easy or apparent to what the business value is. The business value of these activities are intangible and actually directly impact the outcome of the project. As people are more comfortable with each other and share experiences, they are more apt to work as a cohesive group and therefore perform at a higher level than a group that does not have the same benefits.
So, in order for a project to be successful a comprehensive change management plan needs to be included that asks some of the following questions:
1. What is our formal/information communication structure? what do we want it to look like? Does it need to change?
2. How can we ensure that new knowledge is shared throughout the organization?
3. How are we going to change? What does that look like?
4. How are we going to measure the change? Are we absorbing and applying new information?
5. How committed does every level of the organization have to be? How do we hold them to it?
Change within an organization when done right leads to positive and sometimes surprising results. It is putting the time and effort into intangibles that creates the most value in the end.
