The 4 P's of Change Management: A Comprehensive Guide

Change management is a process that involves specific people, functions or positions in order to increase performance. It is a strategy that can yield significant organizational benefits, and it is important to tie the project to the reason why it is happening, what will change, and who will be affected by the change. Change management is about preparing stakeholders with the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required in the new environment. Tim Creasey, director of innovation at Prosci and a globally recognized leader in change management, explains that a perfectly designed implementation won't work if employees aren't supported throughout the process.

To ensure successful change management, it is important to document specific impacts on business processes, systems, tools, job functions, or organizational structures. The four P's of change management are an exercise that helps create a context for the project. It consists of four columns: Project, Purpose, Individuals and People. The objective is to demonstrate the connections between the project, the expected results and the groups of employees that will be affected by the change effort.

Project refers to the initiative or program that is being implemented. It should include tactics to support change and develop skills through training.

Purpose

is the reason why the project is happening. It should be established imaginatively before stakeholders can give in to it and get where they need to go.

Individuals refers to helping a project team identify and inventory which employees need to do their jobs differently. This is an important starting point for effectively positioning change management.

People

refers to when you use the exercise with a project team, you force them to think about the individual impacts of their project or initiative.