Digital transformation is a common undertaking for many companies, involving the adoption of new digital practices and processes. To ensure a seamless transition to the new system, effective digital implementation management is essential. This management approach plays a vital role in keeping the project on track, both in terms of timelines and budgets. It guarantees that the designed solution aligns with the company’s requirements and is efficiently delivered through focused tasks and activities.
However, to achieve optimal results, it is crucial for companies to integrate digital implementation management with change management. Change management primarily focuses on the human aspect of the transformation, emphasizing adoption, readiness, and ongoing engagement. It ensures that change is implemented with minimal disruption and maximum benefits, addressing the needs of stakeholders affected by the digital solution.
Engaging highly experienced experts is a crucial factor for achieving success in implementing change. While numerous system integrators offer change support, they often provide practitioners with less than 5 years of experience and limited expertise in managing large transformations. The advantage of involving a coach with substantial experience across multiple initiatives lies in their innate and instinctive ability to identify potential problems before they escalate into major issues that could affect the success of implementation. While some companies rely on their systems integrator for change management, it is advisable to engage a separate change management company for several reasons:
1. Diverse Expertise: Change management encompasses understanding the human side of change and facilitating a smooth readiness transition for employees. Different change management companies may possess varying areas of expertise, methodologies, and tools. By engaging multiple companies, organizations can leverage a diverse skill set and knowledge base to effectively address a wide range of change-related challenges. This includes organizational culture, ways of working, communication strategies, training programs, and stakeholder engagement.
2. Objectivity and Independence: Independent change management is critical for the successful implementation of new systems or processes within an organization. Having a separate change management company ensures objectivity in assessing and managing the change process. They are not influenced by vested interests related to the implementation itself, which allows them to provide unbiased recommendations and strategies. Not just focused on on-time, on-budget, and on-scope, but also readiness, engagement and usability.
3. Comprehensive Recommendations: Having a separate change management company can provide comprehensive recommendations for improvement from the current ways of operating. This ensures that the change management process is robust, aligned with organizational goals, and covers all necessary aspects of the transformational journey.
4. Checks and Balances: Incorporating a separate change management company introduces an additional layer of checks and balances to the implementation process. They act as an independent party to evaluate progress, identify potential risks or gaps in change management, and provide recommendations for improvement. This ensures a thorough and well-monitored change management process. A separate change management firm remains focused on the needs of the business and enables the vision of the original business case to be achieved.
5. Enhanced Accountability: By separating the change management function from the systems integrator, clear accountability is established for both parties. Each company has distinct roles and responsibilities, fostering transparency and ensuring that all aspects of change management and program management are appropriately addressed. This accountability structure promotes a collaborative and results-oriented approach to managing transformational change.
6. Mitigating Conflicts of Interest: In some cases, systems integrators may offer change management services as part of their package. While this may seem convenient, it can create conflicts of interest. Systems integrators often prioritize technical implementation, potentially influencing their change management efforts to ensure a smooth implementation rather than addressing broader organizational needs. Engaging a separate change management company helps avoid such conflicts and ensures that change management decisions are made in the best interest of the organization.
Engaging different change management companies separate from the systems integrator adds value to the change management process. It brings diverse expertise, independence, objectivity, checks and balances, and enhanced accountability, maximizing the chances of a successful and well-executed change initiative within the organization. For more details, schedule a free consultation here.
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