Manage changes in the project plan

Change management activities should be incorporated into the project planning.

Create a communication plan

Communications are a critical part of the change process. A communication plan articulates key messages that must go to various affected audiences and stakeholders. It also defines who sends the messages and when. In this way, it ensures that employees learn about changes, at the right time, from people who have credibility with them. Communication is an understated but significant aspect that keeps the various teams connected throughout the entire journey. Here are some of the key communication aspects to consider:

• Explanation of the changes in familiar terminology that resonates with the audience
• A stakeholder list, including partners resources and change managers, to facilitate collaboration
• Providing a sneak peek into benefits for users
• Launch and availability communications
• Project sponsor vision and direction communication
• Communication frequency and approach
• Incorporation of user feedback
• Status reporting, including steering committee reports
• Communication templates and directives for scenarios, including unhappy paths, for example, for major team changes or when timeline changes occur

Create a sponsor roadmap

The sponsor roadmap outlines the actions that are needed from the project's primary sponsor and the coalition of sponsors across the business. Project sponsors often can't be part of the day-to-day project operations. Therefore, the sponsor roadmap helps executives be active and visible sponsors of the change. It identifies specific areas that require active and visible engagement from the various leadership teams. It also defines which communications they should send and when, and which peers across the coalition they must be aligned with to support the change.

Create a coaching plan

In larger projects, the coaching plan outlines how you engage with and equip managers and people leaders to lead the change with their own teams. Managers can play a significant role in aiding the change management efforts. However, they must be engaged as employees first and allowed to work through their own change process. After that process is completed, you can give them the information and tools to lead the same change process with their own teams.

Create a resistance management plan

Most projects encounter resistance to change, and this resistance is often identified as part of the risk assessment. The change manager should use high-risk areas that are identified, and other observations, to proactively define activities to mitigate these areas of concern.

This process should be started early in the project lifecycle. Early engagement of trusted user champions from the user community to build a user-centric solution contributes significantly toward addressing these areas of risk.

Perform a solution blueprint review

A solid solution blueprint is the foundational backbone of any implementation project and a key driver of success. All Dynamics 365 implementation projects should establish and maintain one. If your project is in Microsoft's FastTrack for Dynamics 365 program, the solution blueprint review (SBR) is a mandatory step. Learn more in Solution architecture design pillars.

The change manager should take action to ensure a clear understanding of the purpose of the blueprint and the SBR across all project stakeholders.

In any project, the SBR serves to bring the stakeholders together around a review of the following items:

• The work that is done and decisions that are made in the sales process
• The conceptual architectural design, scope, and constraints
• The activities that are planned or about to be planned for the rest of the project

By aligning all parties around this review early in the project, you help ensure early discovery of risks and issues before they affect the budget and timeline, and you set the stage for predictable success.

A key responsibility of the change manager in Dynamics 365 implementation projects is to highlight the value-add of the SBR. When this review has alignment across stakeholders, it can significantly reduce risk, speed up implementation, and improve adoption.

• Initiate
• Implement
• Prepare
• Operate

The Implement phase is where the planning of activities is carried out into actual deliveries. The change management activities focus on the following tasks:

• Monitoring adoption of the implementation approach/methodology
• Adapting as changes that affect the project reality occur
• Keeping the plan up to date with changes and performing the planned activities

Next steps

• Review the change management overview.
• Understand where to get started by assessing business process change.
• Learn about the importance of project goals and readiness.
• Find ways to affect change by understanding the project organization.
• Learn ways to do proper assessment and solution overview.
• Understand the importance of setting the ground rules.
• Review key challenges for managing expectations.
• Understand key elements of change management: progress, obstacles, and planning.
• Understand how change management can affect testing of the solution.
• Understand timing and focus in getting ready to deploy.
• Set the stage for proper transition and handover.
• Review the change management checklist.
• Read the case study to understand the positive impact of proper change management practice.