One of the nuts-and-bolts issues theory rarely covers, the tracking of change projects to ground is often what makes or breaks projects in the trenches. Proper tracking provides the early warning signs project managers need to prevent problems and keep things on track; it also provides the visibility executive sponsors need to support initiatives effectively. However, the logistical problems associated with maintaining up-to-date information on the various pieces of a change project easily overwhelm the resources of most projects, so adequate tracking is usually sacrificed. This episode covers how new technology is being used to overcome this age-old challenge.
Change implementation is profoundly impacted by who is around. Nothing can impact the politics of your initiative more than the untimely exit of a key supporter or the entry of a new player whose attitude toward your efforts are at best unknown. In this podcast, we explore the notion of an executive’s tour of duty and the implications this might have on change agents.
When bad things happen, people look for someone to blame – asserting that the scapegoats should have seen it coming. In retrospect, any number of indicators alerting them of impending disaster can often be found. While exceptions exist, experts usually agree that it is generally unfair to condemn people like the Admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor for not knowing what was coming; their view is that given the overwhelming amount of information out there, it is impossible to assemble together the relevant set of indicators without the benefit of hindsight.
We can appreciate this argument; the challenge is indeed extremely difficult, but just because it is hard does not make it real. While condemning the Admiral is probably unfair, the challenge of keeping that installation prepared is the outcome that must somehow be achieved.
In this episode, we relate this challenge to project managers and project risk plans. We examine how putting external “sensors” in place is an important part of any implementation and give examples of how people have managed to cut through information clutter. Finally, we reveal how run-the-business ways of thinking prevent change-the-business managers from dealing with risk effectively.
One of the key causes of change failure is an ineffective approach to assigning resources to implementation initiatives. This episodes covers the most common approaches and pitfalls - and offers tips and alternatives that can be much more effective. Finally, it explores how all of this is likely to change the nature of our work and careeers in the not-too-distant future.
Now is the time for New Year’s resolutions, and while people might start queueing up at the gym, we all know few of them are likely to achieve their goals this year… or any year. In fact, some studies proclaim these attempts at lifestyle changes are virtually impossible.
Well, we’re not that pessimistic. This episodes gives some tips on how to be more successful at setting goals for yourself in your life and explores why changing at work should be a piece of cake compared to the kinds of changes we need to make at home.
Our first podcast explains our objectives in putting all this together. In our first segment, we explore how bad economic times should affect your approach to managing your current change initiatives and developing new projects.
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