Adapting and Adjusting Change Management in an Agile Project

“In a project using an Agile method, change management must adapt and be flexible. In related news, the sun rises in the East and the sky is blue."

The volume of chatter about Agile and change management continues to rise. But direction on how to integrate change management with Agile methods has been harder to come by. To understand the intersection of these critical disciplines, Prosci conducted benchmarking research to uncover insights, experiences and expertise from change practitioners with foot in each discipline, which culminated in the Change Management and Agile Report. 

One part of the report explores how to effectively manage the people side of change when moving from waterfall TO Agile—the systemic introduction of Agile as an approach, sometimes called the “Agile Transformation.” The other part of the report explores how to most effectively adapt and adjust the practice of change management IN a project using Agile.

This blog shares insights on the adaptations to change management IN Agile projects.

What Is the Impact of Agile’s Iterative Nature on Change Management?

“Flexibility is key and not panicking with the uncertain nature of Agile delivery. Keep the basics but be prepared to negotiate on other aspects of the traditional change approach. Know that every day is different, and that's okay.”

Study participants identified four impacts on change management necessitated by the iterative nature of projects using an Agile development process:

When applied in an Agile development process, change management:

1. Became iterative
2. Created plans that were designed to be modified as needed
3. Required more upfront work
4. Needed to be done in less time and at a faster pace

When supporting an initiative using Agile, the change practitioner must be more flexible and adaptable. There is a certainly level of discomfort involved with letting go of “perfect” change management strategies and plans. However, the rapid pace of a project using Agile means that change management practitioners must refine and focus their work, becoming more precise and efficient and knowing where to flex and where to relax the change management rigor.

What Are the Greatest Contributors to Success When Integrating Change Management and Agile?

“If you plan short 4-8 week sprints, every little achievement can be a success story, however small (even a 2 person change which has a measurable business impact to a business process). Small = greater commitment for all.”

Participants highlighted four specific contributors to success when applying change management to a project using an Agile approach.

1. Early engagement of change manager
2. Consistent communication
3. Senior leader engagement
4. Early wins

Engagement all around was the major theme related to top contributors. First, engagement between the Agile team and the change management resource is crucial to ensure that the people side keeps up with the technical side. Engagement of senior leaders, both in support of the initiative and Agile as an approach, was critical. Finally, engaging impacted employees through consistent communication and celebrations of successes created the necessary momentum to keep an effort progressing.

What Are the Common Obstacles When Bringing Change Management to an Agile Project?

“[The greatest challenge is] the tendency to be less strategic about the people approach to adoption.  The focus on the ‘story’ tends to overshadow planning for operationalizing the product (e.g., adjust business processes, weave into training/user documentation, etc.)]”

Study participants identified five common obstacles when working to bring change management into a project using Agile iterative development processes:

1. Lack of understanding of and appreciation for change management
2. Organizational resistance to Agile
3. High volume of incremental change
4. Increased pace
5. Middle manager resistance

Interestingly, the interplay between effectively managing the transition TO Agile and the effective application of change management IN Agile shows up in the top obstacles. Major obstacles faced when applying change management IN Agile were often symptoms of ineffectively building support and buy-in for Agile in the first place.

How Do the Practice Areas of Change Management Look Different in an Agile Effort?

Prosci took an innovative approach to uncovering specific direction and guidance for change practitioners working to adjust their work in an Agile environment. We began by identifying a set of ten change management practice areas to investigate. First, we looked to the seven top contributors to success that have emerged from Prosci’s decades of research:

1. Sponsorship
2. Approach
3. Resources
4. Integration of change management and project management
5. Employee engagement
6. Communications
7. Manager engagement

Then, we added three more practice areas that have emerged in research:

8. Training
9. Resistance management
10. Reinforcement

For each of the ten practice areas, we collected data from study participants on:

• Challenges faced when applying that practice area in Agile
• Adaptations made when applying that practice area in Agile
• What to do differently the next time for that practice area in Agile

The full Change Management and Agile report has complete write-ups on each of the three questions for all ten of the practices areas. For the purpose of this blog, I’ll provide a short “punchline” for each of the ten practice areas below:

	Practice area	Punchline
	Sponsorship	Sponsors must understand and embrace the Agile mindset. Sponsor participation must become more precise and efficient.
	Middle Manager Engagement	Managers need to be equipped with resources and training on Agile and engaged with face-to-face communication. Their role changes across the project.
	Employee Engagement	Employees must be engaged more but also less formally (seemingly a paradox). Engagement should also promote the Agile culture.
	Approach	The change management approach must align to Agile process phases and must be selective regarding which activities drive value.
	Resources	Change management resourcing needs vary across an Agile development effort and must be ready to pivot based on employee impact of a given phase.
	Integration with Project Management	The change management and project teams must integrate earlier, with higher levels of communication and collaboration.
	Communication	Communication requires precision and increased frequency aligned with the Agile process but must also be managed well to avoid overload.
	Training	Training must be focused, concise and delivered more frequently, with an emphasis on delivering just-in-time training.
	Resistance Management	A formal resistance management plan with increased communication, with an emphasis on the “why” of both Agile and the project, can build buy-in.
	Reinforcement	Reinforcement is required early and more frequently to match the iterative approach, with an emphasis on goals and progress.

Agile Change Management

The popularity of Agile continues to grow as a way to tackle initiatives by breaking them down into iterative segments. Its application is extending past software and IT projects to include non-IT projects as well. Within a project using Agile, change management can support the adoption and usage required for true results to be achieved. But the pace and nature of an Agile effort means that change management must change. Precision, efficiency, focus, trade-offs, early engagement and balance must all be present for change management to be most effective on a project using iterative development.