Let me start with a small disclaimer - In this post I am not going to lecture around what is
change and incident management. Rather one of the effective ways to plan for a change.
There exists many such tools and flows to effectively carry out a change , however - this is
just one amongst those.
change and incident management. Rather one of the effective ways to plan for a change.
There exists many such tools and flows to effectively carry out a change , however - this is
just one amongst those.
both from a technology standpoint and org structure. Here, I will try to cover various aspects
of the technological / IT production changes and not the latter.
But why? Its is said that , the reason for such failures is due to employee resistance and lack of management support.
I would say - it is primarily because - “Changing human behaviour is hard”
Successful change management requires frequent and clear communication between an
organization and its people, and most importantly - convincing ourselves and others that the
change candidate is compelling, motivational and realistic! i.e. every change initiative needs
a convincing narrative.
organization and its people, and most importantly - convincing ourselves and others that the
change candidate is compelling, motivational and realistic! i.e. every change initiative needs
a convincing narrative.
American systems scientist Peter Senge says: “People don’t resist change, they resist
being changed”.
being changed”.
I think we all agree that - any / all change initiatives must be backed by a process,
so as to ensure it is well organised , and repeatable.
so as to ensure it is well organised , and repeatable.
Mnemonics
A bit off-topic , but I think we all would agree that - to remember anything , mnemonics helps us in a great way.
Remember BODMAS - The order of mathematical operations? :D
OR - the phrase "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" - to remember the planets, sadly Pluto is gone though.. but anyway!
Here comes another one - PLOT.
What is PLOT ?
Ain't plot is such a familiar word when it comes to movies .. exposition , climax , action etc. etc.
In this case , PLOT is an abbreviation in the areas of effective change management , and it stands for Plan, Lead , Operate and Track.
Fine , how is it helpful?
While there exists numerous processes and flow charts to effectively carry out a change ,
one of them is PLOT - a method designed and documented by Bain & Company -
one of the most prestigious and global management consulting companies headquartered
in the US.
one of them is PLOT - a method designed and documented by Bain & Company -
one of the most prestigious and global management consulting companies headquartered
in the US.
This PLOT flow helps us to convince and align ourselves to an end-to-end change
management process , keeping transparency, compliance , various guiding principles ,
communications points and many such things which is very instrumental to execute a
change effectively.
management process , keeping transparency, compliance , various guiding principles ,
communications points and many such things which is very instrumental to execute a
change effectively.
Below is my adaptation with some small tweaks , however if you google it , you can easily
get their original document with more elaboration.
get their original document with more elaboration.
Step 1: Plan it well.
Step 2: Lead the change
Step 3 : Operate ( Execution phase)
Step 4 : Track it well.
Every organization has its own change management flow , but I am sure this PLOT can be a good chip in that flow for sure.
For. ex.
During the execution phase many things may go wrong depending on how deep or broad
the change is. It is very important to understand that - “when on principle: It’s understandable,
memorable, and repeatable , and eventually drives empathy!”
the change is. It is very important to understand that - “when on principle: It’s understandable,
memorable, and repeatable , and eventually drives empathy!”
Closing thoughts ..
No matter where you are in the system life cycle, the system will change!
The desire to change will persist throughout the life cycle.
But, the underlying services should be always stable, reliable, and predictable.
The desire to change will persist throughout the life cycle.
But, the underlying services should be always stable, reliable, and predictable.
Above images are screenshots from one of my previous presentation, which I know,
is of not the best quality , hence attaching the original PPT herewith.
is of not the best quality , hence attaching the original PPT herewith.
Happy holiday season and Happy new year 2020!
Until next time ..
Debajit Kataki
