MSP For Dummies

Chapter 22

Ten Reasons Why Change Initiatives Go Wrong

In This Chapter

Getting the nature of your change initiative clear

Using programme management effectively

I find that change initiative is an extremely helpful term that's beautifully neutral and non-aligned. To me it simply means a programme or a stand-alone project. I use it when the organization I'm working with hasn't yet decided whether the initiative is to be run as a project or a programme, or when talking about a mix of programmes and stand-alone projects.

Before reading on, ask yourself why you think that organizations fail to deliver change initiatives (usually just known as projects). After you've had an opportunity to list some reasons, read through this chapter to see the ten problems that I identify.

Each of these problems is also a reason to use programme management.

Failing to Clarify whether a Change Initiative is a Programme or a Project

One crucial error to avoid, and a key element in change initiatives failing, is mistakenly labelling them as projects when they're better treated as programmes; that's really what this chapter is all about. Of course, you may also come across the opposite of this situation, ...