ADVISORY
By Audrey Mphela
Johannesburg, South Africa
Project leaders are often responsible for the implementation of large-scale projects that are robust and required for the organization to pivot. It could be implementing new technology advances, new business systems or even new infrastructure. ‘’The project scope is signed off, and once the execution is complete and successful, the end user will have no choice but to comply. It’s that simple.’’ Said the project team during their kickoff meeting. The execution goes underway, and the project team is focused on ensuring that the implementation of the new systems remains on track and without any scope creep nor black swan experiences. The change management aspect of implementing new systems for example, often overlooks the change management aspect of how new changes will have an impact on the end user. The project plan outlines the steps to be taken but does not indicate the way the project team will manage the change process that is part and parcel of the project.
How does one achieve a successful merger of the change process with the project? Let us look two – facilitating Change through Projects and what Project leaders need to know about change management.
Facilitating change through projects.
Looking at a Case Study example of an Organizational Change management pilot – HCC (Hampshire Country Council) E-Procurement Project, Version 2, which took place over 10 years ago. The case study is an overview of the change Management issues faced during its e-procurement system implementation.
The key statistics of the project were:
This is what is discussed in the case study.
The objectives of the e-procurement Project were to Reduce off-contract purchasing (purchasing from non-approved vendors), Provide better procurement management information and to streamline the purchasing process.
This formed, part of the overall IT systems Replacement Project, to replace the old systems within the organizations respective departments such as Finance, and Human Recourses.
The old systems needed replacing as were designed around the way things have been working before. Old systems were becoming obsolete and expensive to maintain. End-user expectations for new systems that were futuristic were also very high.
A change management plan as part and parcel of the project scope was drawn up prior to implementation to:
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Editor’s note: This article is based on a presentation by the author at the 2022 Project Management South Africa (PMSA) Annual Conference in November 2022. Article coordinated by PMSA, who approved its publication in the PMWJ.
How to cite this article: Mphela, A. (2023). Implementing Change Management for a change, PM World Journal, Vol. XII, Issue V, May. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pmwj129-May2023-Mphela-implementing-change-management-for-a-change.pdf
About the Author
Audrey Mphela
Johannesburg, South Africa
Audrey Mphela is a Retail Systems Training Specialist at SPAR SRDC in South Africa. She provides expert advice and guidance to store Owners/Managers with regard to IT Systems being used to develop skills and competencies. She assesses if a store is operating within accepted parameters for the various departments and provides retailers with sufficient system knowledge to assist them in the management of their business, to use a system correctly, to analyze and act effectively on the information contained in the system • Analyze financial indicators such as gross profit, high/low profit areas, sales growth/loss, high/low sales areas, sales versus purchases, stock holding, cash flow, ratios. She can identify areas outside normally accepted operating range for a given set of criteria and to rectify the situation. She advises store owners, store managers, supervisors, and operators on best operating policies and procedures to run and manage their stores to gain greater business benefit from using group business systems, also to grow profit, reduce shrinkage and grow the business.
Audrey holds an Advanced IT Project Management NQF Level 7 Certificate with UJ. She has Occupationally Directed Education and Training and development. (Current) and an E-Technology Professional Diploma. She has been awarded Best Project Manager at SPAR for a 12 Month Project and Division of the year Award (Division Director for Clubs in Johannesburg and neighboring countries Malawi- Toastmasters). She is a Producer & Radio Presenter of an online Radio Show – Bloma Nathi (evening show). Audrey can be contacted at amphela@gmail.com
