Change happens. In today’s global world, change happens faster and more frequently than ever and consequently that means projects experience constant change. While rapid response and flexibility are critical to competitive response, stakeholders making that change do not always move at the same speed. Understanding the change process from a behavioral perspective we and others experience will ease the facilitation of that change.

1. 1
Your presenter is:
Alison Sigmon, M.Ed., PMP
Managing Change
In an Ever Changing Project World

2. What’s on tap for our time together today…
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 Change is all around us
 Types of change – it’s not always bad!
 Effective change needs leadership and process
 Change process described
 Application of the change process
 Wrap it up!
Change happens. In today’s global world, change happens faster and more
frequently than ever and consequently that means projects experience constant
change.
While rapid response and flexibility are critical to competitive response,
stakeholders making that change do not always move at the same speed.
Understanding the change process from a behavioral perspective we experience
and others experience will ease the facilitation of that change.
Agenda

3. 3
Change – the only
constant in
projects
Impact on you and others

4. 4
From strategy to reports to
documentation to relationships, project
managers experience a bevy of
challenges that require a wide range of
skills.
 Work through others to get work done
 Get results in nearly impossible
conditions and situations
 Manage without authority
 Spend 80 to 90 percent of time
communicating
 Navigate and leverage politics
 Build and support project relationships
 Facilitate stakeholder interaction and
contributions
 Analyze data
 Sell ideas and solutions
 Manage conflict
Juggling never ends

5. 5
Things can get REALLY complicated!
And when you throw change into the mix…

6. 6
Change is a huge part of managing
projects, and our attitude about it
will drive the results and response to
it.
We’d love for our plan to be etched in
stone, but the reality is that it simply
can’t be.
Anyone who has managed a project
knows that the farther we look out at
our project schedule, the less
accurate the plan will be. This is the
premise of Rolling Wave planning.
There are just too many variables
and unknowns to prevent changes
from happening.
Change is all around us…

7. 7
With the evolution of
technology, today’s business
climate has changed to keep
pace.
The ability to manage and
respond to change fast is now
the norm rather than the
exception for a business to
remain competitive.
Rapid change is here to
stay…
Change is moving faster…

8. 8
Change helps companies respond to shifting trends, but
in the project trenches change can be experienced as a
disturbance to our way of seeing and doing things.
Stakeholder tolerance for change varies. It’s important to
be able to envision and communicate the possibilities
of the big picture while managing the emotions that
surround the upheaval of change.
Let’s take a look at how change may be viewed.
Change requires balance…

9. 9
The attitude that you and other
key stakeholders bring to the
project affect how others respond.
How do you and the stakeholders
on your project view change?
 Does it feel like an interruption to
stability or the start of a journey
 Perhaps it seems like a
response to a disturbance or a
path to innovation
 Maybe it is immediately
experienced as a problem or
seen as a great opportunity
Attitude can make or break…

10. 10
Thriving on change is
fundamental to success
as a project manager.
Understanding the nature
of change allows us to
work with it instead of
against it.
But is all change bad???
Leveraging change to lessen stress…

11. 11
Types of change
No, fortunately not all change is
bad…
There are two types of change:
Eustress – This is a type of
change that is experienced as
positive. You may feel excitement
and motivating energy or
anxiousness. Landing a new job or
project, getting married, or buying a
home are examples.
Distress – This type of change is
usually experienced as negative.
You might feel upset, unsettled, or
angry. Schedule cuts, scope
changes, and delivering bad news
are examples.

12. 12
Changing conditions
The way you and others view change drives two main things:
• How quickly the change is responded to
• How fast stakeholders bounce back from the initial news of change
What can help? Understanding and respecting the process…

13. 13
Managing change
as a process
Process will pull you through

14. 14
Change needs leadership and
leadership needs process…
Whatever kind of change you have
on your project, it’s likely going to
present some challenge which
means it’s also going to need
leadership.
For change leadership to be
effective, vision and process are
needed.
Processes give us a touchstone
that is a reliable and consistent
point of reference as we move
through uncertain times.
Touchstone for uncertainty

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Stages of change
Being familiar with a change process can help you and your stakeholders
move through the emotions associated with it. While there are lots of
change management models out there, this is fast and easy to understand.

16. 16
When chaos hits…experience
When people first learn of a
change, it can feel a bit
chaotic. They may
experience the following:
• Swirl of emotions
- Some strong, others not
- Some positive, others
not
• Overwhelming change may
cause numbness.

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If it’s not a crisis situation, giving
time for everyone to process the
change will help them respond to
it in the long run.
It doesn’t have to be long and
protracted. Just give a bit of time
for the information to sink it. After
all, it is new to them. Consider the
following:
• Focus on the feelings
• Talk about it with others
• Express your feelings about the
change in appropriate ways
When chaos hits…managing it

18. 18
Finding clarity…experience
This stage is like when the dust
settles after a violent wind
storm. Information about the
change has sunk in and people
can process it. Consider the
following:
• Change is incomplete
• Idea may seems disjointed
and not cohesive
• Uncertainty is normal
• Team begins to assess the
implications and impact of the
change

19. 19
Finding clarity…managing it
Before putting a plan in
motion, some people may
need time to let go of the “old”
way of doing and thinking
about things.
Consider doing the following:
• Honor the past
• Research and gather
information
• Visualize the future

20. 20
The Creativity Stage is a sign of
some level of acceptance about
the change. This is when people
are beginning to think about how
to meet the needs and demands of
the change.
When moving through this stage,
consider the following:
• Deeper understanding is
established. Begin to “think
outside the box”
• Team starts to consider how to
respond to the change
• Questions are asked and
challenges are faced in light of the
new reality
Feeling creativity…experience

21. 21
Feeling creativity…managing it
The best way to facilitate
stakeholders through this stage is to
focus on the intention of the
change.
Rules are typically relaxed during
this stage while people run their
cycles on how best to respond.
Consider doing the following:
• Think outside your traditional role
• De-emphasize the hierarchy of the
organization
• Find ways to stimulate new ways
of looking at the situation
• “Play” with ideas and options – this
is the time when almost anything
goes

22. 22
Living continuity…experience
In this stage, stakeholders are
beginning to live the “new” normal.
The change is integrated and
people assume a “business as
usual” attitude.
When moving through this stage,
consider the following:
• Move from the turbulence of
change to the new work reality
• New ways of working & behaving
are established
• People look for ways to fine-tune
• Positive talk emerges

23. 23
Living continuity…managing it
This is a very organic stage that
cannot be forced.
The nice aspect of this stage is it’s
like a breather or a rest after what
was likely a challenging and even
stormy period.
Consider doing the following:
• Allow the continuity stage to occur
naturally
• Not everyone hits this stage at
exactly the same time
• Understand this stage will not last
forever

24. 24
Stage experience & management considerations
As you move forward with using
this model, keep these things in
mind:
• Stages do not always go in
order
• Stages cannot ultimately be
eliminated
• Stages can be re-visited
• Stages may involve resistance
• There might be some
stakeholders who can’t get to
this stage

25. 25
Closing thoughts
on change
Survival of the fittest

26. 26
A PM’s work is never done…
Project managers wear a lot of
hats that require a variety of
skills…
Analysis
Documentation
Budgeting
Communication
Teamwork
Intelligence
Steadiness
Time Management

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Awareness of the change experience and a process for
managing it is just another way to keep a handle on the
many things you do day in and day out to make your
project a success.
Practicing process makes perfect (well, almost )

28. Wrap up…
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Questions???
Change happens. In today’s global world, change happens faster and more
frequently than ever and consequently that means projects experience constant
change.
While rapid response and flexibility are critical to competitive response,
stakeholders making that change do not always move at the same speed.
Understanding the change process from a behavioral perspective we and others
experience will ease the facilitation of that change.
What we discussed
 Change is all around us
 Types of change – it’s not always bad!
 Effective change needs leadership and process
 Change process described
 Application of the change process
 Wrap it up!

29. Thank you!
www.systemation.com
Alison Sigmon, M.Ed, LPC, PMP
asigmon@systemation.com
Twitter @alisonsigmon
www.slideshare.net/ahsigmon
www.mindscraping.com
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