2 April 2017
It’s Time to Change

It’s Time to Change

There has never been a more important time for organisations of every kind to embrace change proactively. For organisations with customers, that’s often driven by the customers’ changing needs and expectations. For all organisations, it may be related to the constant movement of political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental factors, amongst other things. An organisation that simply reacts to those things will often find themselves arriving too late for the party!

Many organisations are extremely good at maintaining things the way they are. Often their culture and their structures will reinforce this. Whilst that will always be appropriate for some aspects of their work, increasingly those aspects are becoming a smaller and smaller part of organisational life, with ‘change being the only constant’.

What organisations really need right now is people who are adaptable, light on their feet, who not only embrace change, but are good leaders who promote it and know how to recognise and deliver the right changes. The right changes are the ones which will deliver long term benefits to the organisation, those whom it serves and those who work in it.

The mix of knowledge, skills and competencies (attitudes and behaviours) required to be effective in this context are a combination of those related to organisational and team leadership and those related to the management of projects.

Good leadership encourages, equips and empowers other to perform at, and sometimes beyond, the best of their ability, often in collaboration with others, in pursuit of a clear vision. This will often involve development of the individuals and always involve the ongoing work of developing team performance. Delegation is also vital, along with effective communication, not only with team members but with others involved in or otherwise affected by the work in hand (often referred to as stakeholders). Change has a habit of spawning conflict and it is important for leaders to know how to get the best value from it (creativity and collaboration) whilst avoiding the damaging outcomes (negativity and divisiveness) which can too easily result.

Managing projects requires a holistic approach that integrates effective management of what’s being done and to what standard, how it’s being done, when, by whom, using what and at what cost. It also requires management of the uncertainty associated with implementing something new. Finally, it requires effective management of relationships and communication with anyone impacted by the project itself or indeed by the later operation / use of the project outcomes. The Project Management Institute’s Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) provides a comprehensive framework for initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing projects. It includes 10 vital topics which need to be considered to a lesser or greater extent in relation to any project, however large or small, in any organisation. They are:

  • Integration management – managing holistically all project elements
  • Scope management – establishing and controlling the project content
  • Quality management – identifying the standards and ensuring they are achieved
  • Time management – establishing and controlling the schedule
  • Cost management – estimating, budgeting and cost control
  • Human resource management – selecting and enabling those who will do the work
  • Risk management – identifying, prioritising and managing uncertainty
  • Stakeholder management – building relationships with those affected by the project
  • Communication management – collecting and sharing information including reporting
  • Procurement management – establishing relationships with suppliers

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