Last week I had lunch with a former co-worker to discuss an improvement plan she was implementing for a team of business analysts. I told her I would not reveal her name in this blog so let's call her Wonder BA. Wonder BA is an active reader of this blog, so maybe she'll chime in with a comment or two on this post and reveal herself. Wonder BA was recently promoted and given the responsibility to lead a BA improvement initiative. As we discussed her approach and things to consider with this initiative, I noticed the conversation did not focus on business analysis. There was little talk about an analysis process, how the BA role was used in their agile environment, or how to organize the BA group. The main focus was on the project team environment, how the team perceived the value of the BA, what their management team wanted to see more of from the BA community, and steps to roll out the BA improvements. It was all about ways to ensure this initiative or more specifically this change initiative would be accepted and adopted in Wonder BA's organization. We talked about how to assess the change readiness of the organization and the individuals impacted; her thoughts on if the culture in her group was one that will accept and adopt the changes she wanted to implement, and how to motivate the individual BAs to embrace the change.
This got me thinking about the change created with every project we work on. Too often the project team's focus is on the features or the new process being implemented as a result of the project. Time is spent worrying about time. Sleep is lost thinking about ensuring we have the right resources to create the solution. Once the project rolls to production, the team is happy and moves on to the next round of enhancements. Teams need to start spending more energy on how to help the users and organization accept and adopt the change created by the project. Often the business comes to the project team asking for new enhancements or a new application to help them overcome the challenges they face. But too often, the impact on the business of introducing a new process or application is underestimated.
As I was writing this blog I called a trusted thought leader in change management, Darshana Patel, change and conflict specialist and founder of SplashMaker LLC. I asked her opinion on this topic and how BAs can help with adoption. Here is her response:
"With increasing efforts to improve the reliability of project outcomes, a new realization is emerging: a successful project does not equal a successful change. Project and change are two sides of the same coin. A project delivered on time, on budget, with targeted scope and quality does not guarantee adoption, institutionalization, and sustainability of the solution.
With the business analyst positioned closest to the pulse of the people and processes affected by a project, here are five key considerations for the BA in planning for and executing successful change.
- How will individuals, groups, and the organization be affected by this project? How do we motivate each level to align with the changes required by the project?
- Which levers do we need to adjust: goals, culture, structure, and process to support ongoing adoption? Who needs to be involved to make this happen?
- What is the organizational context of this project? What dynamics are at play that may impact the likelihood of success?
- Politically speaking, who supports or needs to support this project? Whose lack of support can sink the short or long term viability for success? What information can be provided to influence their position?
- Who can we employ as change agents to actively broaden and strengthen the coalition of support? What is the formal and information communication plan to propagate the themes, messages, and ideas that align conversations and people with the project?"
Early in the project, begin to think about the points Darshana raises. You still need to focus on the features and new processes to be implemented. But does any of that matter if the new features and processes are not adopted? As a BA you are a leader. By focusing your attention on planning and executing change you will be acting like one.
To change!
Kupe
Don't forget to leave your comments below
written by Aaron Whittenberger, March 16, 2010
-
- +4
-
-
written by Dave Burdick, March 23, 2010
-
- +1
-
-
written by Kupe Kupersmith, March 24, 2010
That's fabulous! Thanks for sharing. Maybe you can write a blog about how your company is benefiting.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Alex, July 05, 2010
Pretty nice list of considerations. I am just curious how you can manage changes to "culture and structure" bearing in mind a temporary nature of projects? Will you have enough time to change organisational culture? will you have enough power to make it? How will you deal with internal resistance to change in this case?
Could you clarify the meaning of "align conversations and people with the project", please?
-
- +0
-
-
written by Darshana Patel, July 08, 2010
As an example, I was on an ERP implementation where the new system would expose operational data once invisible to the management team. However, the existing culture was one that did not support transparency. As a result, if we did not properly plan for a shift in culture, we would certainly expect issues with the quality and integrity of the data input by the field teams. We engaged senior leadership and mid-level management to develop a plan to alter the culture over time to ensure the sustainable success of the project. Often, the cultural and structural realignment initiative endures long after the project is completed.
Internal resistance to change can be addressed through the concept of change agents who are plugged into all levels of the organization, dealing with resistance constructively and holistically. At the core, change often requires constructive handling of perception by providing the right level of information at the right time to address fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
What you may have seen around a project is varied levels of support and interest. To ensure project success, what we mean by "align conversations and people with the project" is to proactively create an environment where people can voice everything from questions, concerns, and support. In this environment, change agents have the opportunity to constructively address what's being said about the project. Another technique is to generate the marketing campaign about the project, creating the buzz, and introducing any related themes or key terms that are embedded into the fabric of conversation within the organization.
I appreciate the question and hope this provides some more information.
Darshana
-
- +0
-
-
