Change Delivery
Successful change delivery is based on pragmatic, right-sized, accessible governance, not bureaucracy.
Change delivery
Over the years, various governance methodologies have promised to reveal the key to successful change delivery—from Waterfall to Agile and everything in between. While each has its merits, they often overlook a fundamental truth: one size does not fit all. Every organisation is distinct and requires a tailored approach that balances governance control with delivery flexibility.
At changemaker, we understand that effective change delivery doesn’t come from rigidly adhering to a single methodology. Instead, we assess the needs of each organisation against a set of standard delivery governance pillars. Leveraging our extensive real-world experience, we adapt these frameworks to fit your specific needs, ‘right-sizing’ your change delivery governance structure. This approach ensures you become more adept at translating strategic intent into tangible business outcomes.
Change delivery
Successful change delivery requires balance—blending structure with flexibility to create governance that empowers, not constrains, sustainable and impactful results.
Demand Management
Ideas for new change demand are rarely in short supply. However, unless these ideas are shaped and evaluated in a consistent way across the organisation, success will be hard to come by. This is because changing successfully requires the right amount of information as early in the delivery lifecycle as possible. Too little information leads to blind investment decisions; too much can stall the process and paralyse ideation.
changemaker can help you create a robust change demand intake process that balances these elements, ensuring informed investment decisions and a smoother path from idea to implementation.
The right balance involves:
Having a common format
A common format for capturing and comparing change demand, with quality controls to ensure consistency
Focusing on desired outcomes
Ensuring you are focusing on desired outcomes rather than leaping to solutions.
Clarity on strategic drivers
Being clear on your strategic drivers as the basis for assessing the relative value of proposed change demand.
Early, light-touch assessment
Early, light-touch assessment of the potential delivery and operational impact of change demand across your enterprise, covering both technical and non-technical resources.
Resource Management
The majority of organisations struggle with change demand outstripping their capacity to deliver that change, usually compounded by ineffective demand prioritisation. The result is a delivery roadmap that is invariably shaped by default and not design, often with ‘hero’ projects draining key resources, regardless of the relative value they bring to the organisation.
Nearly every organisation will benefit from improving its enterprise delivery resource management approach, but doing that in a relatively light-touch way is where our experience comes in.
Changemaker can help you:
Framework
Build a simple but effective demand prioritisation framework.
Early assessment of the resource impact
Unlock the insight needed to enable early assessment of the resource impact of this demand to drive the right investment decisions.
Model different delivery scenarios
Model different delivery scenarios at a macro level to optimise the shape of your change portfolio and improve resource alignment.
Improve your Enterprise Delivery
Improve your Enterprise Delivery Resource Management – identifying constraints before they adversely impact your delivery aspirations, giving you time to do something about it.
Governance & Assurance
We all intuitively know we need it, but so often we see a negative perception around governing and assuring change delivery in organisations.
This can result in a lack of sufficient delivery controls, often through a fear of too much administrative bureaucracy, or perhaps through embracing more ‘agile’ ways of working without truly understanding what this means for effective change governance.
If you have lost the control you once had or recognise the need to improve what is currently in place – we can work with you to right-size your governance and assurance framework.
There is no magic off-the-shelf methodology that will seamlessly work, but there are some core principles that we use to tailor your governance and ensure your organisational needs are met.
These core principles include:
Single source of truth
Capturing and maintaining a robust ‘single source of truth’ for your key delivery data (something which is often linked to finding the right PPM Tool to manage and maintain this data).
Flexible stage-gate delivery process
Having a flexible stage-gate delivery process that recognises change delivery can happen in different ways and doesn’t all need to follow the same strict governance path.
Making governance a delivery facilitator
Focussing on making governance a delivery facilitator – not a delivery blocker.
Portfolio Delivery
Scope definition, scheduling, risk mitigation, issue resolution, dependency management, financial management, reporting, document control – these are the engine room of your change delivery machine, but are you confident the engine is running as effectively as it should be? Some would say the answer to these challenges are to ‘double down’ with often draconian adherence to delivery standards, such as those defined in the PRINCE2 framework.
Whilst we agree that all these basic disciplines are important and have their place, we believe the way they are implemented and policed is critical to successful change delivery.
At changemaker, we hold real world change delivery experience, and understand the sharp end of change delivery and the importance of finding a way to bring your team on-board with the wider change management approach. We will help you remove barriers to delivery whilst still giving assurance on the critical processes you need in place to greatly improve the chances of a high-quality delivery.
Culture and Behaviour
The role of culture and behaviour in implementing successful change is too often under-estimated. Sustainable change only happens when people in the organisation change.
Engaging and supporting people in the change journey from change leaders to front line teams is vital to success which is why at changemaker we have built a team dedicated to supporting the Human Change journey using our combined skills in business psychology, team building, coaching and transformational change, to enable organisations to achieve more with their change programmes and realise true cultural and behavioural shift.
To find out more about how we support culture and behaviour change click on ‘Human Change’ below:
How we support your change journey
At changemaker, we take a comprehensive and holistic approach to change, offering a wide range of services across four key areas:
Change Design
Supporting you in exploring what change might look like, or navigating your way to realising the change you desire.
Change Delivery
Implementing the governance and skills to plan and deliver change in an ambiguous world.
Human Change
Supporting the human being in understanding why and how to change to realise their full potential.
Resourcing for Change
Providing you people with the skills and values that matter to you on a temporary, interim, or permanent basis.
Video resources
Watch our experts share real-world insights and proven strategies to help you strengthen your organisation’s change delivery approach.
Video
What is the most Common change delivery challenge?
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Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about how we help organisations deliver change more effectively, with the right governance and approach.
What is change delivery?
Change delivery is a structured approach to moving an organisation from its current state to a future, more desirable state. This can involve a variety of transformations, ranging from simple adjustments, such as modifying the appearance of a website, to comprehensive overhauls like reorganising entire business processes. Change delivery ensures that these transitions are managed effectively, providing clear direction and minimising disruptions. By utilising a strategic framework, organisations can achieve their desired outcomes more efficiently and with reduced risk.
What are the common pitfalls organisations face when managing change demand?
One of the most common pitfalls organisations encounter is when the demand for change far exceeds the available resources to implement it. This often occurs in rapidly growing companies where the volume of change projects overwhelms their capacity to deliver effectively.
Additionally, significant shifts within the organisation, such as changes in leadership or operating models, can disrupt previously stable systems, making it challenging to maintain a balanced and effective change delivery process. Another issue is the misapplication of Agile methodologies, where organisations mistake Agile for an excuse to avoid proper planning and governance, leading to chaotic and ineffective change management.
What are the misconceptions around governance in change delivery?
Governance is often perceived as an administrative burden that hinders progress and adds unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. Many see it as mere paperwork and procedures that slow down delivery rather than enabling it. However, effective governance is crucial for successful change delivery as it provides structure, accountability, and prioritisation. Without it, organisations risk falling into disorganised, chaotic processes that can lead to failed initiatives. A well-designed governance framework should act as a catalyst for change, ensuring that projects are delivered efficiently and aligned with organisational goals, rather than being a mere compliance exercise.
How can an organisation effectively manage competing project demands?
Organisations often struggle with prioritising project demands due to political dynamics and the lack of a structured process. A common issue is the “hero culture,” where projects get prioritised based on which team or executive shouts the loudest, rather than strategic alignment. To address this, it’s crucial to implement a front door demand management process that provides an initial assessment of project scope, cost, and timelines. This approach helps leaders understand the realistic implications of their requests and forces a collective decision-making process, ensuring that projects are prioritised based on their overall value to the organisation rather than individual preferences.
What is your philosophy on sustainable change?
Changemaker aims to leave a legacy of sustainable change in every organisation we work with. This means developing solutions that are not only effective in the short term but also adaptable and relevant as the organisation evolves. Our focus is on empowering internal teams to continue improving and managing change long after the initial engagement. By creating frameworks and processes that employees understand and can build upon, changemaker enables its clients to maintain and grow their change capabilities over time, reducing dependency on external consultants.
How can organisations overcome silos in project delivery?
Silos in project delivery can hinder the successful execution of cross-functional initiatives. For example, different business units might be able to manage their own projects effectively but struggle when a project requires collaboration across departments. Implementing a mechanism for early engagement and alignment between silos can help mitigate these issues. By facilitating discussions early on, teams can identify potential resource conflicts and align their plans, ensuring that dependencies are managed proactively. This approach prevents bottlenecks and delays further down the line and helps maintain a smooth delivery process across the organisation.
What is the best way to address legacy system challenges in large organisations?
Large organisations often face the challenge of modernising legacy systems that have accumulated technical debt over many years. Attempting to overhaul everything at once can lead to extensive delays and resource constraints. A more effective approach is to take incremental steps, addressing specific issues while maintaining ongoing business operations. By adopting an enterprise-wide view and prioritising critical changes, organisations can gradually modernise their systems in manageable phases. This prevents delivery teams from becoming overwhelmed and ensures that business-as-usual activities continue without disruption, ultimately leading to a more sustainable transformation.
What is the biggest challenge in successful change delivery?
The biggest challenge in change delivery is not the technical aspect, but rather the cultural and behavioural factors within an organisation. While having the right processes, tools, and data integrity is essential, these are considered basic requirements. The true hurdle lies in overcoming entrenched ways of working and breaking through the “hero culture,” where individuals navigate through dysfunction to prove their value. Effective change delivery requires addressing these cultural barriers and putting human change at the forefront, ensuring that everyone is aligned and engaged with the new ways of working.
How do you approach the human side of change management?
Changemaker’s approach involves working closely with organisations to understand their unique cultural and behavioural dynamics and then tailoring strategies to foster acceptance and support for change. By prioritising the human change element, we ensure that employees are not only aware of the changes but are also equipped and motivated to adapt to them. This holistic approach helps create a sustainable shift in behaviour and mindset, making change initiatives more effective and long-lasting.
Why is there resistance to governance and controls in organisations?
Resistance to governance and controls often stems from a fear of losing personal influence and control within the organisation. Employees, especially those who have been in their roles for a long time, may feel threatened by formal processes that could diminish their unique value and their ability to “get things done” in a less structured environment. This resistance can be both subconscious and overt, as people may rely on informal networks or personal authority to navigate a chaotic system.
Implementing effective governance requires addressing these fears and demonstrating that structured controls do not stifle individual contribution but instead create a more predictable and effective environment for everyone to succeed. Changemaker’s light-touch approach is specifically designed to accomplish these feats, creating tailored governance structures that work for the organisations that implement them, rather than the other way around.
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