Managing the synergies between business change and project ...

Thoughts for the day

Managing the synergies between business change and project management

14th May 2012

I have often heard business managers say ?this is not a change project so we just need a project manager and not a business change manager?. I have however come to experience in my years of working with major organisations that this really isn?t true and a mistake made by most business leaders. In most cases down the line a business change manager or executive is employed to solve a problem that would have been avoided if consideration had been given to the business change elements of the project.

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Every project has three major things in common; it involves people, finance and processes. These three elements are managed based on the expertise of the people who are well trained in these areas. A good mix of these three elements will help deliver a successful project. The issue however is that whilst in delivery mode you need to also manage the impact of these elements on the organisation. The impact is usually seen in key areas like staff productivity, job security, increase or reduction in the reputation of the firm etc. Bearing these in mind, it?s almost impossible to embark on a project without taking into consideration the business change elements of a project.

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So is every project a change project? definitely not. But in every project or programme, there is an element of business change in it. This is what today?s business manager needs to come to terms with and have sight of as he/she delivers the project. Have you looked at the people element of your project? have you considered the business as usual challenges and impacts? This isn?t the role of a business analyst but that of a business change manager or a business change aware project manager.

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So do you need a full fledged business change function for your project? Not necessarily depending how big the project is. However you may need to consider having in place some form of function to manage the change needs and impact it might have on your project and people.

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