Change Management is More than a Few Lines on a Project Plan

By Julie Peachy. Cross-posted from Leadership Beyond Boundaries.

Just over three years ago, I found myself in a developing country managing a project that would help about 350,000 poor people save money.  The project was essentially an organizational transformation of a large microfinance institution.  We’re winding the project down now and I’m reflecting on what we did well, not so well, or maybe not at all.

I often thought of my role as Project Manager like that of an air traffic controller.  We had so many consultants on the project — from internal controls to financial risk management to marketing to human resources — I had to manage the runway and make sure there were no collisions in the comings and goings of the consultants or senior management.  Not just physically, but emotionally.  I spent a good bit of time that first year making sure that the work of each consultant would be seen as a success by the senior management and that they would embrace and implement the various recommendations.  I made sure that everything was happening according to plan.
But there were a few line items on the project plan that just were not tangible to me…

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Tags: Change Management