Before, during, after implementation: Change KPIs change!

Companies monitor KPIs for Project and Budget reasons. Following Human and Change matters is
usually triggered by the Change methodology applied in the Project. One has to be aware that the
Change elements to be measured before, during and after the implementation are not necessarily the
same. Hence, hereby a quick look at Change on the different moments.
Change KPIs
In many Projects, Change is monitored by tracking progress of Change Management activities like
Communication deliveries, Communication effectiveness, Training participation and attendance.
Whatever activities are tracked, and whatever measurements are used to track Change Management
effectiveness, the monitoring of KPIs will measure the overall effectiveness of the Change
Management plan and provide some guidance to further improve the Project progress.
Although KPIs only have value if they offer meaning and comparability, it should be taken into account
that Change elements to be measured before, during and after the implementation are not necessarily
the same. Also, some will measure output, others will factualise the evolution of human sentiment.
Before the Change Takes Place
To build the initial Change plans, it is essential to assess both the Change itself and the Organization.
To assess the Change itself, one will focus on the Scope of the Change, the Number of impacted people,
the amplitude of the Change, the Type of Change (process, technology, merger, culture) and the like.
To assess the Organization, the elements to take into account
are the Organizational culture, the effect of past Changes, the
Managements predisposition to Change, and the Stakeholder
readiness for Change.
During the Change

"I cannot say whether things will

get better if we change; what I
can say is they must change if
they are to get better."
G.Lichtenberg

During the Change, it is important to determine whether the Change Management activities are working,
and take the corrective actions where needed.
To determine if Change efforts are on track, additional questions can be included in the intermediate
follow-up, focusing on the execution of the Change plan:

To what extend are communications of the Sponsor and the Project Management team on the
vision, scope and benefits of the Change coming closer to the reality perceived on the field?
How confident do the Change Agents feel themselves for the tasks of the 1-2 months ahead?
How confident are end-users feeling towards their future roles and way of working?

This should indicate if messages have been well understood, if the resistance to Change is evolving
positively and if specific corrective actions need to be taken.

JRGEN JANSSENS

After the Implementation of the Change

After the implementation of Business & IT changes, three key areas can be defined to determine the
success of Change Management efforts:

Speed of Adoption: How quickly are people using the new System and/or adopting the new
Way of Working?
Buy-In: How many people are really embracing the new System, Process or Organisation?
Proficiency: To what extend are tasks performed at the expected (intermediate/final) level?

The better these aspects evolve, the faster the value (defined in the Business Case or in the Change
Plan) is delivered to the Organization.
Note that the definition and evaluation of specific KPIs like the speed of adoption is not enough on itself.
The evaluation of KPIs requires also after the implementation of the Change corrective follow-up and
communication. For the latter, for example, sharing (ongoing) success cases can be very powerful to
improve the Change adaption, and the related KPIs.

More information on Project & Change KPIs will be coming soon in our next Newsletter!

Information about the Author: https://be.linkedin.com/in/janssensjurgen

Information about QSpin : http://www.qspin.be/index.php/about-qspin/

References & Further Reading:

Holhaus, K., (2014), What Metrics Should Be Measured for Change Management?, Palo Alto, CA.
Parker, J., (2016), Measuring Project Success Using Business KPIs, Ontario, Canada.
Prosci, (2016), Best Practices in Change Management, Fort Collins, CO .
Reid-Powell, M., (2016), Making Change Stick: Change Management Metrics, Oak Brook, IL.

JRGEN JANSSENS