How do you merge change management and project management tools?

While I agree that change management and project management have different perspectives and processes, the two disciplines ultimately share the same goal, which is successfully delivering on the business outcomes and ROI of the change.

To say PM and CM have the same goals is misleading I think, as the focus and priorities are very different. PM is about the process of change (time mgt, budget controls, resource allocation, etc) , whereas CM is about the impact of people which determines the approach and ultimately defines the engagement plans for change (leadership, training, comms, etc).

Project management can fall into the trap of being too focussed on the process itself and lose sight of the end goal. Just moving the marker along the Gantt chart might feel like progress, but if the people who are supposed to be beneficiaries of the actions aren't experiencing positive outcomes - there will be no change.

Change Management is governance of changes to the existing status quo. It’s remit covers people, process and technology impacts. Project management is all about delivery focused on time, cost and quality. The two have different focuses but aim to ensure the client / customer receives what they paid for.

I agree with all that is said regarding the differences between the two disciplines. Clearly, PM without a close link to applied CM methods will never gain the same results, where people support and even live the induced change.

I've heard it said that Project Management prepares the solution for an organization and Change Management prepares an organization for the solution. Having credentials in both Project Management and Change Management, I certainly see the overlaps and routinely advocate for all project managers to have at least a basic understanding of change management principles. Too many times projects come in on time, on budget, and within scope and still fail to achieve the desired effects. Project management can get you almost all the way to the end, but if people don't adopt the change or they don't modify their behavior in the right way or the change doesn't stick, then what have we done as project managers other than waste time and resources?

On every project I try to get some change and communciation components in the projetc plan if the PM will let me and they alays do. Busy execs and steercos might not read even a 1-2 page chaneg and comms startegy, but if it's already incorporated in the PMP, it's easier for them. I also make a point of matching initiatives and engagement to the project timeframe, so we don't ask too much of stakeholders at any time or if we do, at least we know how much and what needs to take priority. Leave the readiness, impact, forcefield, sponsor, skills gap analysis and improvement recommendations to the CM, let the PM do the scheduling and risk and we'll accomplish more together than we could alone.

Try to keep them simple and use tools they could use themselves if they wanted to. I teach my students the 4-5 basic tools in under 3 hours and they're always amazed at how easy they are. It often sounds like they feel they don't have permission to use them themselves, so encourage their curiosity, set up (safe) experiments and run 30-60 minute learning groups where everyone gets to play around with them. "People don't fight insights they helped create" and all that.

The best way to predict the future is to create it. Navigating the merger of change management and project tools can be complex. Remember, integration isn't about replacing, but enhancing processes. Adaptation is key. #ChangeManagement #ProjectManagement #ToolsIntegration

There is no discussion regarding the requirements (business [what business outcomes are necessary], functional [what role based capabilities are to be demonstrated ], technical [how to implement the toolset to meet the needs]) that need to be identified during the selection, evaluation and deployment phases of both toolsets. Nor is there any discussion about the data models and how to identify KPIs or measure performance.