Prioritizing Organizational Change Management Activities

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Perform a high-level change impact analysis
  • Outline triggers for modifying the change plan

The Explore Phase of SAP Activate

At the start of the Explore phase, the 4S project team conducts a detailed examination of BriscoBikes’ business processes. A key activity is to perform the fit-to-standard analysis.

The graphic shows the SAP Activate implementation methodology with the six phases. The third phase explore is highlighted.

During this analysis, the 4S project team investigates the degree of alignment between SAP's best-practice standard solutions and current business needs. Based on the gained insights, the team develops a detailed plan for the next SAP activate phase.

Sandra and Paul work in parallel to understand the transformation requirements. First, they acquire an overview of the change impact, which helps them focus their change management measures and refine the change plan. Second, they encourage awareness of and commitment to the upcoming changes, both in leadership teams and amongst employees. Third, to identify people-related risks, they set up and execute monitoring activities. During this phase, the change management team’s key overall objective is to involve and mobilize the BriscoBikes business to support the 4S project.

Conduct a High-Level Change Impact Analysis

Objectives of the High-Level Change Impact Analysis

In different BriscoBikes subsidiaries, the high-level change impact analysis provides an initial systematic overview of, first, the amount and, second, the nature of changes triggered by the 4S project. Based on this analysis, the change managers can derive appropriate activities focusing their resources on key action areas.

In addition, insights from the high-level change impact analysis are used in communication activities, making the change’s implications more tangible to impacted users. To capture the change impacts, it is recommended to conduct interviews and workshops with key project stakeholders. The results of the analysis can be updated iteratively, whenever new information is available.

Situation at BriscoBikes

To start collecting data, Sandra and Paul conduct interviews with Tonya Reed, Bart de Vries, and Dirk Hauser. The interviews provide more insights about the change impacts that Tonya, Bart, and Dirk anticipate.

Listen carefully to the recording and pay attention to the mention of specific change impacts for different subsidiaries and the holding company. You can also take notes in preparation for the upcoming workbook exercise.

It's Your Turn: Time to Practice!

Conducting a high-level change impact analysis follows a structured approach. The exercise in the workbook helps you how to set up the analysis, aggregate the results, and plan the next steps.

Take 15 minutes to complete exercise 20 in your workbook.

The picture reminds you to do exercise 20.

Finalizing the Change Impact Analysis

After documenting the first insights and ideas from the interviews, Sandra aligns with Carlos, the SAP project lead, to discuss her findings and the path forward.

The following chart shows Sandra’s current documentation of the high-level change impacts for BriscoBikes.

This picture shows a chart of Sandra’s current documentation of the high-level change impacts for Brisco Bikes. At the top of the chart is a description of Brisco Bikes: the company has 2100 employees, their headquarters are located in San Diego in the USA and their production plant is in Porto in Portugal. Below the description are four fields focusing on changes with respect to process, technology, organization and people. An example for process changes: most of the business processes need to be adapted towards the new global operational model. An example for technology changes: heterogeneous IT landscape with on-premise and cloud systems will be replaced. An example for organization changes: some roles and responsibilities need to be changed. An example for people change: employees need to unlearn old habits.

Adapt the Change Plan

Objectives of the Change Plan Adaptation

The change plan is the key tool for documenting and tracking all change management activities for the 4S project. Sandra and Paul developed the first version of the change plan during the prepare phase. This version is generic because no detailed information about the concrete project delivery is available yet. Furthermore, the change managers still need time to assess the specific support that the organization requires. An initial high-level planning approach reduces the effort for later adjustments.

Nevertheless, to ensure that the project plan and the change plan are always synchronized, while the project plan evolves during the implementation process, the change plan must be accordingly refined. In addition, changes in the project situation or in the business environment can also impact the change plan.

Situation at BriscoBikes

Lucy is not satisfied by the current change plan. She asks Sandra and Paul to further elaborate and specify the documented change management activities for all three roll-out waves. Sandra decides to set up a call with Lucy to discuss Lucy’s request.

It's Your Turn: Time to Practice!

Refining the change plan is a recurring activity for a change manager during the project. There are many reasons for needing to adjust a change plan. Can you think of factors that can have an impact on the change plan?

Take five minutes to complete exercise 21 in your workbook.

The picture reminds you to do exercise 21.

In the following video, watch the discussion between Lucy and Sandra on adapting the change plan.

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