Keep the Change: Part Two

Six years ago, we wrote a post called, “Keep the Change”. At the end of that post, we wrote this:

Since we have to keep the change, we may as well manage it effectively.

In the time that’s elapsed, we’ve come to realize two things: (1) We were correct. (2) We didn’t know how correct we were.

Today, of course, we’re likely to hear change referred to as transformation. Digital transformation. Financial transformation. Operational transformation. “We’re going to transform the enterprise!”

Are we really?

Transformation seems too abrupt. It feels like zero to sixty or a snap of the fingers. That’s not at all the kind of change we think about or that our software enables. Rather, it’s more gradual and deliberate. It’s more incremental and better managed. And it involves knowledge, learning, and what used to be called process re-engineering. Maybe it still is, for all we know.

Approach is Everything

Instead of transformation or process re-engineering, we’re more likely to call it change management. By that, we’re referring to a service that comes with our software. More specifically, we mean — especially when transitioning from fragmented legacy systems to an integrated suite — some processes are likely to change as they become more automated and efficient.

By the same token, people are likely to change in different ways. Some people may resist or have difficulty reconciling themselves to new systems and new processes. On the other hand, other people, who may have been considered marginal performers with the old system, may become stars with a new system and altered processes. And if we accept that best practices are static and determined in hindsight (they are) we can also tout that best practices, modified by experience, can be better practices. That creates the opportunity for people to suggest what’s possible, to build collaborative relationships, and to continuously improve requirements-identifying processes.

In other words, we view change management as a crucial aspect of of delivering our software. It’s a systematic approach to supporting people through their transitions to new processes with new tools.

Yes. We have to keep the change. We also have to manage it to keep it accessible and assimilable to everyone who experiences it. We have to ensure every link in the chain is secure.

It’s all part of the service.