From resistance to resilience: Mastering project management and transformation
When you think of transformation or change, what’s the immediate emotion that follows? Is it excitement or curiosity? Are you immediately ready to act? Or perhaps the feeling is resistance, anxiety or even dread? If it is the latter you’re not alone; most people when faced with change have similar emotions. If it’s the former, you know the effort required to get everyone else to reach that same level of excitement.
Complex projects, unexpected changes, large scale transformations often translate to dealing with the unknown, and that can be equal parts exciting and daunting. However, following a few basic principles may help move the needle, making your next transformation not only a success, but a sustained triumph – here’s how.
Know your why
You know that you want to start a new transformation journey, but does everyone understand and agree with the reasons behind it? Think of the “why” vs your business requirements – are they aligned? If there is no clear link between the two, you are setting yourself up for failure even before the project initiation. Spend time on establishing a clear vision and goals of the project and make sure your leadership is on board. With a clear north star, the team will be set for success even when challenges arise.
Who are your people?
First, know your stakeholders and understand who, how, and when will they be affected by your project. Your people are the driving force; never underestimate their input and remember that without their support you are more likely to fail than to succeed. Mapping out the main stakeholders and establishing who will most likely advocate for the project is a critical step. This can be done through a simple power versus interest stakeholder matrix which facilitates your stakeholder management process.
What’s in it for me?
This is a common question when starting a new project, especially when people are resisting the change. This is inevitable as most humans shy away from things that are new or difficult. Just like you would map out your stakeholders, you also need to understand their readiness for change. With this knowledge, you can clearly answer their concerns and outline the positive impact, building trust along the way. Over time you should also observe increased excitement about achieving specific milestones, which would lead to accomplishing a common goal, benefiting all.
Tailored communications
Communication is key, yet many fail at informing their teams of what’s going to happen.
By now you should have a good understanding of who your stakeholders are as well as the benefits which the transformation will bring to them. Now is the time to think of the communications that need to be done, the kind of messages to send and the audience which they are sent to. Preparing your stakeholders for any transformation is crucial and a common pitfall for many initiatives.
When establishing a communications plan, it is important to remember that humans are quite versatile in the way they think and act. For example, through Business Chemistry®, we learn that if one is a Guardian, they will be methodical, very detail oriented and value stability. In contrast, Pioneers are spontaneous, embrace risk and would rather see the big picture. This means that it’s not just the words you use but how you use them that will ensure the message is heard by all.
Don’t stop
Moving forward, your project has started and is running like a well-oiled machine. The fear of change subsided, your stakeholders are aligned on their roles and responsibilities, and you are communicating regularly – what can go wrong?
The reality is that initiatives don’t happen in a silo, people inevitably get sidetracked by business as usual activities or other new things that occur. People can also reach a point of project fatigue. These are just some of the reasons why robust project controls and governance need to be put in place to make sure that your initiatives are maintained.
Some tools that come in handy are:
- Project master plan – your timeline for the completion of all project tasks along with who is responsible for delivering them.
- RAID log – it will hold all your project risks, actions, issues (hopefully none) and decisions taken, helping you to monitor and mitigate any obstacles as well as gain consensus.
- CR log – a change request log will be an extension of the RAID log, holding information on any additional scope needs.
- Weekly reporting – a progress report to keep the team updated, engaged and on track.
While these tools will help steer your project’s trajectory, be mindful and remember that “things happen” and you will need a certain level of flexibility and adaptation depending on the situation and the stakeholders you deal with.
All the above done, you can reduce the risk of resistance and lead a resilient team to success in your next transformation.
Lessons learnt
- Evaluate the initiative’s alignment with your organisation’s vision, needs and values.
- Know your stakeholders well and get their buy in.
- Communicate clearly and often.
- Keep stakeholders engaged during the entire project lifecycle.
- Be flexible but control the process.
About the authors
Karen Youssef is a manager in the Technology & Transformation business at Deloitte Malta.
Anna Jablonska is a manager in the Technology & Transformation business at Deloitte Malta.
