It Can’t Be That Difficult ?

Management of change represents a significant challenge to businesses today. It grows in importance year by year and yet it is often misunderstood or implemented poorly, for example:

Relying on operational management to interpret and implement business plans. This can generate disconnection between the setting of strategy and plans and the inception and delivery of business change. In parallel there is often a lack of rigour around the initial qualification, ongoing measurement and reporting of change initiatives.

Failing to address the fundamentals of effective change delivery:

	setting clear objectives, scope, milestones, deliverables, expected results;
	providing effective sponsorship and mandate;
	carrying out rigorous planning, measurement and reporting; and
	motivating people and communicating effectively.

Viewing change as separate from business as usual activity. Businesses can effectively take their eye off the ball by leaving things to the change delivery people and not providing the management focus and support that is necessary to move change along. Many change initiatives finish for no better reason than that they once started.