Change Management is important in business transformation, because it effectively manages the ‘people’ side of the change in transformation projects and programs.

The current problem in the market place today is the focus on the hard, structural, technical and process(es) changes, with little focus on the people element.

How we address that people element in HOBA is first – HOBA is business-led (ie people-led). It is not technology-led nor technology-driven. Yes, Technology is important, but technology is an enabler of change but the reason nor driver.

How change management enables business transformation projects and programs to be successful is by understanding where the people undergoing the change are in terms of understanding the change, the amount of change, what that change means to them, why they are changing, how they feel about the change, the impact of the (pending) change on their job, roles and responsibilities, and a host of similar related ‘change activities’.

The goal being – the more you understand the people who are going through the change, know and understand what the change means to them, and how their world and life will change, preparing them for it, giving them the necessary tools and training to get through the change, to ultimately embed the changes, and new ways of working.

What is important with Change management, is it should be seen as an ongoing process, and not a one-time event. It should start at the start of the project and/or program and last the whole way through to delivery, and post-delivery, ensuring the change is embedded, and the people and business are working in the new ways, as Business As Usual (BAU).

In terms of stages where Change Management (CM) would be involved, CM would come in the ‘planning’ stage, in ‘operational planning’ after the strategic planning and marketing planning, where the current state and change impact assessment would take place, now after knowing – strategically where and why you are changing, and what markets and products and services you are going to go after.