One thing to remember in organizational management is that we have to carefully measure what we want to carefully manage. This is also true to project management and process change management.
Process Change Management: Why the Need for Change?
An important thing to think about when considering process change management is the reason for the need to modify an existing procedure.
In fact, this is the first step to be done in any process change. There is a need to know the reason why a specific process need to change and what should be the goals or objectives of the change.
Oftentimes, the goals involve removing some difficulties and pain from the projects. Among these reasons are communication breakdowns and the goal is to open better lines; costly technical errors so there is a need to adopt a more reliable processes; or maybe the company needs to comply with specific standards.
After identifying the reasons for process change and the primary goals, the process modification starts by accepting inputs from various sources and providing stakeholders the information they need. During this stage, the recent process is being analyzed and in the case of a business process, various data from interviews, focus groups, surveys and observations can be collected and utilized for analysis. The current process will be checked for gaps and to find out where improvements can be applied.
Among the requirements for process change is that it must be efficient, easy to use and learn for the user. It must also be concrete, specific and as what we have talked earlier – measurable.
The Continuous Process Improvement
An effective process change management involves the following lifecycle:
- Analyze process;
- Improve process;
- Define/Redefine process;
- and Measure process.
The result of the lifecycle is a continuous process improvement wherein the changes in the process are regularly monitored, evaluated, and modified.
When a need for improvement is discovered, the process change starts by defining the beginning and the end as well as setting goals and objectives for the change.
The Importance of an Experienced Project Manager
A project manager who is experienced in process improvement-type projects is also essential in developing a better process change because his knowledge and expertise will make the tasks flow smoother and end up with a more effective process change.
He will have many ideas that can help in activities, e.g.,
- measuring current process through metrics,
- validating the documented process,
- setting new metrics based on organization’s long-term goals,
- analyzing the process so that he can make improvements,
- designing and developing changes to the process to ensure that the goals and objectives for improvement are met.
As the process change is implemented, the experienced project manager knows how to review and measure the results against baseline metrics during a certain time period.
Developing process change management involves a continuous improvement procedure that aims to address significant concerns as they come along and modify them until the whole process reaches the desired stage or outcome.
An experienced and effective project manager is essential to the achievement of a better process as well as the efficient performance of the various procedures in the improvement processes.
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