Handling Change | A summary based on the lessons in Wrangling Squirrels

Projects always start with a Plan. The traditional idea in project management is that the plan is the blueprint of your project. It tells you what needs to be done, how it should be done, and what you expect to have at the end of the process. When your project hits a bump along the road, you often resort back to your plan to find the best solution. However, the truth of the matter is, the project plan, no matter how calculated, intensive, and well-made will always be prone to risk and uncertainty. This is not because the plan is poorly made; there are simply inevitable factors that will require you to make changes in your plan. As cliché as it may sound, it rings true, even in projects: the only constant thing is change. With this idea in mind, it will be helpful for you to expect that your project plan and schedules will not be the same after three or six months after starting your project.

As a project leader, you should anticipate any surprises that may come your way at any point in the project phase. While that as a leader, your role is to be a driving force of positivity, it’s equally important that you find the right balance of optimism and pragmatism. Being pragmatic entails being realistic and preparing for potential risks and changes in your project plan.

Take the lead on change

Leaders must be the first people to understand and support change. Make sure you are well-informed about the proposed changes in your project. Stay on top of every detail at every stage in the change process and ensure that all persons involved are aligned with the changes that need to be implemented. One of the most effective strategies to manage change is to condition yourself and your team to find the right balance in being both proactive and reactive.

Being proactive means acting before the situation turns into the source of a dilemma. In change management, you must be able to foresee any potential risks that can affect your outcomes and prepare to make changes in your processes to avoid this or at least ensure that they have the least negative impact as possible. Proactive leaders foresee the possible positive and negative consequences of change and incorporate these into risk reduction and management schemes. Should any issue arise, proactive people are prepared.

Consider your team

When the inevitable need for adjustments arise in your project, the first thing you should do is assess how your team will be affected, including the resources they require in their jobs that may be disrupted by changes. These resources may be objects, coworkers, office spaces, work schedules, or even the company’s culture itself. When these objects and resources are threatened by change, it can take a toll on your team and upset productivity and morale. Make sure to note these items and prepare your proposal on how to help your team find new norms to work. Be genuinely concerned about your team and find ways to show this to them.

Get the right tools and prepare ahead of time

Tools are the resources needed to carry out your projects, such as physical assets, funding, timescales, and even manpower. One important tool that can come in handy when dealing with changes in your project is your contingency fund. Having a contingency fund will prepare you for anticipated changes without having to worry about ruining your financial plan. It allows you to make quick decisions on expenditures without compromising your working budget. In case you don’t have a contingency fund or don’t have enough of it, you may need to utilize cost management tools to assess if a request for additional funding is necessary.

Make change simple

Flexibility is key. You want to allow yourself and your team the space to properly transition into any change. This means, not limiting adjustments to just the process but also the scope, the requirements, perhaps even the schedule, granted that you will not compromise the quality of your results.

With the authority you have as project manager, don’t hesitate to make small fixes on things you have control over if this will help your team manage changes better. A good example of this a case of miscommunication and misunderstanding; if you feel that there is a gap in their understanding about the change, take the initiative to address it immediately. Provide reassuring words of guidance that can help them adjust easier. Moreover, offer solutions that you think will ease the transition phase. Also, avoid making promises in situations that are beyond your control. Giving false hopes on things outside your scope will not only be unhelpful but I can also cause a dent in your credibility as a leader.