Running Head: Change Management

Managing IT Change across an Organization

Prepared by: Dalen Newton, Whitney Edwards, Rosendo Mesa, & Andrew Wise IT 486: Critical Issues in Information Technology Central Washington University Prepared for: Terry Linkletter March 8, 2013

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Table of Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Deploying Change Management................................................................................................................... 4 Explain the Change.................................................................................................................................... 4 Create a Change Team .............................................................................................................................. 4 Implement the Change ............................................................................................................................. 5 Training Your Staff ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Mitigating Change Resistance ....................................................................................................................... 6 Post-Deployment Survey .......................................................................................................................... 6 Prior to Change ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Teaching about Changes ........................................................................................................................... 7 Handling Resistance to Change ................................................................................................................. 8 Documenting the change management process .......................................................................................... 9 What Should Be Documented................................................................................................................. 10 Things to Consider in Documentation Process ....................................................................................... 11 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 13 References .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................. 16 Change Control Form .............................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix B : Survey Monkey Class Poll Results .......................................................................................... 18

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Abstract
Change management refers to a set of basic tools or structures intended to keep any change effort under control. (Kotter, 2011). The processes and steps of change management may vary slightly from company to company and industry to industry however there are some basic principles every company should consider: The change itself and prepping staff for it; explanation of the change, establishing a team to implement, and the actual implementation; Training staff on new systems or new procedures, mitigating staff resistance to changes through plenty of notifications and feedback outlets, and documenting the entire process.

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Deploying Change Management

We experience change management all throughout life. The deployment process is a critical step in having a successful change process, whether it is in your personal life or professional life. As a general rule, it is a good idea to treat the change management process as a project. A project has a start date and an end date. I am going to discuss my suggestions on how to deploy your change management process. I want to be clear that there is more than one way to deploy change in your company, department or life in general. These are just guidelines to follow. Feel free to add to the list to fit your needs.

Explain the Change

As you are planning out your strategy on deploying your change, try to put yourself in the shoes of those who the change is going to affect. Playing devils advocate can be very useful in the planning stages. As a professional in the workplace, communication is the key when running a business. You want to explain why this change is necessary action. There is always going to be that person who will question your every move. Give them what they want, and that is simple; it is communication. To relieve your employees of guessing or learning through rumors, explain to your employees in advance about what the change is. Who is the change going to affect?

Create a Change Team

It is a good idea to create a team that focuses on the particular change you are implementing. The reason I suggest creating a team is to have cooperative minds work together to have a successful project. As I said before, we want to treat the change process as a project. Embed change management into project delivery approaches and project management

Change Management methodologies. (Prosci, 2011). Your change team could be an assorted group of people from different departments or comprised of outsiders with no bias opinions. I would suggest keeping the change team in-house, meaning that your change team should be comprised of your employees.

Implement the Change

At this point, your change management team has gone through the steps of preparing for the implementation. They informed their staff of the said changes that are going to be taking place. This is important because it will help prevent any resistance to the change. There will always be people who are against the change. It is just human nature. The best we can do is doing our best into preventing the resistance. Set the plan into motion by going live with the change. If your change management team did their job, this should be a smooth transition.

Training Your Staff

Training your staff is the number one factor in a successful deployment. I suggest designating a trainer for each department for the new system, if needed. The Prosci learning center for change management suggests designating change agents (Prosci, 2011). These change agents are already trained in the specified subject. We all enjoy new technology, but if we dont know how to use it, it is useless and frustrating. By the end of the training session, all of your employees should be familiar with the new system. The last step will be the discovery of how the change is affecting the staff members.

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Mitigating Change Resistance

Post-Deployment Survey
Conducting a post-deployment survey from your employees will give you a good idea of how your implementation went. By providing this survey and actively utilizing the feedback to improve some change procedures, it shows your staff that you appreciate their feedback. Once again, put yourself in the shoes of your staff members. It would be informative for both parties to do a post-deployment survey. This survey may tell you what needs to be adjusted in the change process or the new software/program. Usually the first deployment will not be wrinkle-free, meaning that there is going to be some adjustments. This survey will help you find those adjustments.

Prior to Change
Before a change in the work process can truly begin, you must inform the employees through all the available channels such as meetings, general conversation, memos, e-mails, and a seminar for all the employees (Xenitelis). With the channel being selected, present the information that the employees need to know, but what do they truly need to know? For starters, each employee would want to know why the change is being made and then how will it affect their job. Other important points are the date in which the change will be effective. It is important to tell employees as soon as possible because the sooner they are informed, the more time they have to adjust which later makes it a much easier transition. By making it a common topic among the workplace, your coworkers will be inclined to discuss the change among them and will want more information. It is important that every employee knows to respect each and everyones opinion about the change. There should be a

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change management team or a go to person for open communication that employees would be able to seek more information or provide feedback in the form of constructive criticism (Corelli, 2009). Feedback is important from your employees to see what the general workers feel as well as perhaps propose an even better idea about approaching a particular problem. One way to get more feedback is have team leaders to talk to their team members in one on one conversation about the change to see what they think. The team leaders should be there for when their team members are in need. This information can be brought to the attention of the change management team and handled as a feedback that should be addressed (Clancy, 2011). When people are openly able to discuss the changes and provide feedback, the change should be much more acceptable in the end because the majority had a say in the situation that was presented to them.

Teaching about Changes

As more feedback is presented by the employees, there will be people who do not want the change to occur. There are many different reasons why people are resistance to change, but the main one that will be focus on right now is lack of knowledge about the new process brought on by the change (Schuler). As the person in charge of the change, begin by offering assistance in training through seminars, both small and large group, independent study or perhaps even taking a college class to gain a deeper knowledge. Within the provided choice of each employee, they can select which fits their time most effectively. Some people prefer working with others while others learn alone. Within each choice, people learn from video, hands on, or need to hear someone discuss how to work the new programs (Force, 2011). Also anything written down especially with pictures are great choices as

Change Management people can always refer back to them as they learn about the new changes. More likely a mix of these things will be used for each person to accommodate their strengths.

Handling Resistance to Change

Employees resist change for many reasons, and the change-management team will have to address those issues before employees will buy into the new system. The top five reasons that employees resist change are: 1. Employees are not aware of the need for change 2. Lay-offs are feared as part of the change 3. Employees are unsure they have the necessary skills to keep their job 4. Employees are comfortable with the status quo 5. Employees feel that they are required to do more with less, or do more for the same pay (Prosci, 2011). You have probably heard the old saying if it aint broke, dont fix it but if you can sell people on the benefits of change, it will make the process easier. If employees are not aware of the need for change, they are more likely to resist the new system. People are often creatures of habit, and this is especially true when an employee is paid based on production or performance. Employees may see the new system as slower and affecting their productivity, and the change management team should come up with a plan to allow for a smooth transition. Employees may also resist change because they fear that this new system will result in layoffs. Most of the time, change is implemented in order to increase productivity. If there is an increase in the work-per-labor hour ratio, then employees know that there may be less hours available after the new system is implemented. It is important that the change management team

Change Management address this issue if no layoffs are planned as part of the change. This will allow employees to focus on learning the new system instead of fearing that they may lose their job. New systems often bring with it new technology, and employees may fear that they will lose their job if they do not possess the skills to adapt. This is an area that can be addressed with training and supervision. Training is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and some employees will require extra attention. Familiarizing employees with the new system will help them become comfortable with their new tasks. Sometimes employees resist change because they are comfortable with the status quo. This is not something that the change-management team can fix if the current system needs to change. These employees are simply choosing to resist change out of personal preference, and will have to adapt to the new system if they wish to keep their job.

Often times the biggest fear that an employee has is that they will be required to do more with less, or for less pay. This is also often true, and is commonly referred to by management as increased productivity. These are two different ways of looking at the same scenario, and the change-management team has to make sure that employees look at change positively. You need to make sure that employees know that the system will make their job easier, and thus increase productivity. Always focus on the positive aspects of the change to help motivate employees to do the same.

Documenting the change management process

Documenting the change management process is a crucial function from beginning to end. The beginning phases of the change management process are to create a document putting forth an idea/request for change, those who are to be affected, and how the change will take place. A standardized change management and documentation process is critical to successful

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change implementation. A Change Control template should strongly be considered for use with all change projects to be undertaken within the IT departments. These templates may be used as living documents and updated as the project progresses, or new versions may be created throughout the process as steps are completed and new phases begin.

What Should Be Documented

The FDA dictates that, Change records should include: A description of the change Identification of the affected documents The signatures of the approving individual(s) The approval date When the change becomes effective (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2009)

This list may easily be modified for the purposes of an IT department. Change documents to systems or applications. Add required notification communications; which departments outside of the IT departments need to be notified, what they need to be notified of, etc. Also note where detailed records of due diligence and testing may be found. Documentation should be kept on: Company structures: o Department functions o Department Systems o Inter-departmental Relationships Change Requested

Change Management o Clear description of change o Business reasons for change Departments and Systems to be affected by change Communications to be sent out regarding change Change analysis Testing and due diligence o Who performed testing o Copies of testing materials Approvals

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Often times testing scripts are created as a baseline for testing of changes to mission critical systems. These scripts are to be a starting point, but should be modified to test specific changes being introduced with updates and patches. Those changes should also be recorded within the testing documentation or in addendums

Things to Consider in Documentation Process

Items important to consider when creating a Change Management and Documentation process include: Standardization of Forms Standardization of Submission Process Standardization of Review and Approval Process Standardization of Logging and Archiving of Documents Standardization of Communications and Methods

Change Management The Advice of Christoph Hartwig should not be ignored; If you do not create proper documentation, you will make thinks extremely difficult in the long run. (Hartwig, 2012). Documentation allows for changes to be duplicated/replicated, even if the original individuals

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involved are no longer with the company, it should also include a rollback plan in case of system critical issues occur after implementation. No two companies may have the same set procedure for the change management process, but it is important in every instance to document these processes Storage and archiving of all documentation is equally important as the creating of the documentation itself. Digital archiving to ensure maximum retention without the limitation of physical space is preferred, but not all companies have moved in this direction yet. A brief study amongst students within a critical issues course was taken; here are some of the findings.

Was there a formal documentation process involved?

Yes No N/A

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Conclusion
Change management is a team driven process that should be well documented. The process of deployment should include clear communications to all employees to be affected by the change(s) and given the opportunity to receive training and give feedback. Utilizing feedback to minimize resistance to change is crucial for wide acceptance throughout the organization. All processes should be well documented to assist in future changes as well as to support communications throughout the organization.

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References
Bowman, D. (2009). What is the Importance of Change Management?. In David Bowman's Information Management Checklist. Retrieved from http://www.informationmanagement-architect.com/importance-of-change-management.html. Clancy, A. (Sept. 2011).5 Steps to Better Change Management. In LiquidPlanner. Retrieved from https://www.liquidplanner.com/blog/5-steps-to-better-change-management/. Corelli, C. (Nov. 2009). Ten Ways to Help Employees Adapt to Change. In Construction Equipment Distribution. Retrieved from http://www.cedmag.com/articledetail.cfm?id=10925388. Hartwig, C. (June 2012). The Importance of Documentation in Change Projects. In Katoka. Retrieved from http://www.katoka.com.au/2012/06/documentation-in-change-projects/. Kotter, J. (July 2011).Change Management vs. Change Leadership Whats the difference?. In Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2011/07/12/changemanagement-vs-change-leadership-whats-the-difference/ Prosci. (2011). Deployment Steps. In Change Management. Retrieved from http://www.changemanagement.com/cmp/tMgQ/PilotPro2012/elearning/benchmarking/deploymentsteps.htm. Schuler, A. J. (n.d.). Overcoming Resistance to Change: Top Ten Reasons for Change Resistance. In Schuler Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.schulersolutions.com/resistance_to_change.html. Unknown. (2008). Change Management: Best Practices. In Cisco. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/en/US/technologies/collateral/tk869/tk769/white_paper_c11458050.html.

Change Management U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (April 2009). 9. Document and Change Control. In U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from

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http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/deviceregulationandguidance/postmarketrequirement s/qualitysystemsregulations/medicaldevicequalitysystemsmanual/ucm122605.htm. V. A. (Nov. 2002). Get IT Done: Keep documentation updated with change management. In Tech Republic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/get-it-done-keepdocumentation-updated-with-change-management/1052001. Xenitelis, M. (n.d.) Change Management and Employee Communication Strategies. In Changing Minds. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/articles/articles09/change_commn.htm.

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Appendix A
Obtained from www.ProjectConnections.com Templates

Change Control Form

Change Request #: ____________________ Project: _______________________

CHANGE REQUEST INITIATION: Originator: __________________ Phone#: (___)__________ email: ___________________

Date Submitted: ____/____/____ System/Product/Service Name: _________________________ Version Number: _________________

CONFIGURATION ITEM:

Software: ___ Firmware: ___ Hardware: ___ Other: _______________

Documentation: ___

CHANGE TYPE: New Requirement: ___

Requirement Change: ___

Design Change: __

Other: _______________________

REASON:

Legal: ___

Market: ___

Performance: ___

Customer Request: ___

Defect: ______ Other: _________________

PRIORITY:

Emergency: ______

Urgent: ______

Routine: ______

Date Required: ____/____/____

CHANGE DESCRIPTION: (Detail functional and/or technical information. Use attachment if necessary.)

Attachments: Yes / No

TECHNICAL EVALUATION: (Use attachment to explain changes, impact on other entities, impact on performance etc.)

Received By: ___________ Date Received: ___/___/___ Assigned To: _______________________ Date Assigned: ___/___/___

Type of Software/Hardware/etc. Affected_________________________________________________________________________

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Modules/Screens/Tables/Files Affected: _________________________________________________________________________

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Documentation Affected:

Section #

Page #

Date Completed

Initial

Requirements Specification System Design Specification System Test Plan Training Plan User System Reference Manual System Maintenance Manual Other (Specify)

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

______/______/______ ______/______/______ ______/______/______ ______/______/______ ______/______/______ ______/______/______ ______/______/______

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

TIME ESTIMATES to make the change:

(Use attachment if necessary.)

Lifecycle Stage
Analysis/Design Coding/Testing Acceptance

Est. Time
__________ __________ __________

Act. Time
__________ __________ __________

Date Comp.
____/____/____ ____/____/____ ____/____/____

Remarks
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Total Hours:

________

________

______________________________

Project Impact Analysis Needed:

Yes / No

(If yes, include impact on budget, resources, schedule, risk etc.)

APPROVALS:

Change Approved: ______

Change Not Approved: ______

Hold (Future Enhancement): ______

1. Signature ____________________________________________

Date: ____/____/____

2. Signature ____________________________________________

Date: ____/____/____

3. Signature ____________________________________________

Date: ____/____/____

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Appendix B : Survey Monkey Class Poll Results

1. Are you currently in or previously been in a position in which you played an active role in the Change Management process ? Yes : 10 No : 5 2. In your experience, was their a formal Change Management process ? Yes : 8 No : 5 N/A : 2 3. If so, did the process include training ? Yes : 8 No : 3 N/A : 4 4. Was there a formal documentation process involved ? Yes : 9 No : 4 N/A : 2 5. Did the documentation include collaboration with departments outside of the IT department ? Yes : 10 No : 1 N/A : 4 6. Was the Change Management process standardized ? If so, was it electronic ? Standardized/Electronic : 8 Standardized/Hard copies : 6 Not Standardized/Electronic : 2 Not Standardized/Hard copies : 1