How important is effective implementation? Consider this analogy from a chief executive officer quoted in Harvard Business Review:

"It's like the company is undergoing four medical procedures at the same time. One person is in charge of a root canal, someone else is setting the broken foot, another person is working on a displaced shoulder, and still another is getting rid of a gallstone. Each operation is a success, but the patient dies of shock."

Simply put, most implementation fails. Whether it's business process reengineering, downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, software process improvement or culture building, truly effective change is an elusive goal for most organizations. It doesn't have to be.

ChangeSmarts™ is a simple-though-powerful seven-step methodology for completing your implementation on time, within budget and with all human and technical needs met. It makes change and transition really work by engaging people's heads, hearts, hands, and hopes.

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The ChangeSmarts™ process:

• provides, in a training and/or consultation format, a repeatable set of principles and tools;
  
• manages the human elements critical to the successful implementation of strategic business plans;
  
• systematically identifies significant personal and organizational barriers to change
  
• generates tactics to increase readiness and decrease the time and resources required for implementation success;
  
• provides the planning framework and identifies the skills needed for this approach.
  

ChangeSmarts™ is a set of tools, tactics and strategies that help you implement programs and projects more quickly. It is very flexible, and its application is situational. You can "unbundle" the steps.

Benefits:

ChangeSmarts™ helps you:

• identify previous implementation barriers likely to be repeated;
  
• demonstrate the commitment required from key stakeholders to authorize and reinforce the change;
  
• prioritize and manage areas of individual and cultural resistance to increase readiness for change;
  
• establish monitoring systems to track results;
  
• develop an effective resource integration plan.
  

Results:

ChangeSmarts™ gives your implementation efforts:

• a more compelling "business case for action;"
  
• decreased disruption, tighter focus on what matters most;
  
• stronger sponsorship, more shared commitment;
  
• higher levels of trust, teamwork and collaboration;
  
• guidance in creating the right communication strategy and deliverables;
  
• more "psychological ownership" by your people - which leads to change that lasts.

Maybe it’s not all rocket science and brain surgery. But if it’s so simple, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Strategy is everything. Execution is everything else. ChangeSmarts™ shows the way.