Business Change Programmes

Business change can be a complex, multi-faceted undertaking. It can be deceptively hard to achieve. Many, if not most, change programmes fall short of their expectations and objectives.

Aspects of Business Change

There are many aspects which might be a focus of change or affected by a change elsewhere. For example:

• People: the skills, competencies, knowledge and behaviours of the workforce that equip them to conduct business in the most effective manner
• Strategy: the organisation's strategy - its mission, vision, goals, objectives, key performance indicators and modus operandi
• Product: products or services offered
• Process: the method by which business operations are conducted
• Culture: the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of the leadership and workforce that give this organisation a unique character
• Structure: organisational structures, divisions, departments, roles, responsibilities, job descriptions
• Technology: IT applications, systems, hardware, technical infrastructure, transaction processing, information management, automation, equipment, machinery
• Market: Marketplaces for the organisation's products and services, their characteristics, their value and how best to approach them
• Customers: customers the organisation seeks to transact with, for which products or services, using which methods
• Channels to Market: how the organisation communicates and transacts with its customers
• Regulation: legal requirements and other regulations the organisation is obliged to follow in its various spheres of business and locations
• Suppliers: providers of products and services to the organisation, using what processes and technology, and under what terms
• Geography: geographical areas in which the organisation operates
• Facilities: locations, premises, equipment, infrastructure, service providers, support and maintenance
• Partners: collaborative ventures with other organisations
• Knowledge: knowledge and information the organisation has access to, how it is harnessed, how it is exploited
• Research & Development: activities to develop leading-edge products, services and methods of operation
• Funding: sources, methods and terms of investment funding for the business change or ongoing operations
• Ownership: how the organisation (or part of the organisation) is owned and controlled - its legal form, stakeholders, relationships with associated organisations, executive structure

When we speak of the aspects of a business change we might mean any or all of these. Moreover, we often find several significant aspects within one of these headline aspects. For example:

• there might be different major areas of technology development required (eg web store-front, call centre, supply chain integration, integration with financial systems)
• there might be different new facilities required (re-siting warehouses, building a global call centre)
• there might be different marketplace, cultural and regulatory considerations in different countries
• we might need to distinguish between things done at different times in the overall change programme.

We need to recognise each significant aspect and guide its progress through the change journey. Each will take its own course, but form an essential part of the overall transition.

The Change Journey

Business change is a difficult journey into the unknown. However well we imagine the destination and however well we plan the trip, we can be sure that things will work out differently. The further we are into the journey, the less likely it is that we will have held to our original plans and expectations. We can usually see what is immediately ahead, but we must climb to the next ridge before we know what the next stage will look like.

By the time we reach the destination it might well look very different to our expectations. Maybe it is not even the destination we intended and, maybe, we do not want to or cannot stop travelling when we get there.

Programme Management

Business change programmes involve activities across an organisation, addressing different aspects of the business, following a complex timetable. These activities are blended by the programme management team to deliver the overall collective benefit.

The programme management team needs to act as visionaries, entrepreneurs, politicians, ambassadors, coaches and planners, as well as controlling the individual project managers. Programme managers concern themselves with every matter that collectively adds to the success of the business change initiative. They will act with direct power from the board, cutting across organisational divisions.

Programme management is a highly specialised skill. It requires great experience to derive optimum benefit from a change programme. Given a choice, look for the manager who knows how to deal with transformational business change rather than one who is only specialised in one aspect such as the industry or technology.

Further Reading
ePMbook - Business Change Programmes
	Copyright © Simon Wallace, 1999 - 2018