Societal Changes Lead to Virtual Change Management Course
By Jacob DeSalvo, Process Improvement & Change Management Intern
October 27, 2020
On October 22, 2020, the 24th cohort to attend the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) 3-day Change Management workshop for Project and Change Managers completed their journey. The 24th cohort was a diverse group that included CDOT employees as well as employees from other Colorado State Employees who learned about essential change management strategies to integrate in their departments and projects. The course was led by Michelle Malloy, Senior Program Manager in CDOT’s Office of Process Improvement (OPI). Typically, this class is held in person, but due to the drastic changes in today’s society, Michelle has been able to adapt and teach this class virtually without jeopardizing its effectiveness and engagement.
Pictured: Class participants from October 20, 2020 3-Day Prosci Change Management Course
OPI illustrates the importance of change management in the workplace and equips the project and change managers with the knowledge and tools to use it effectively. Prosci’s ADKAR methodology is modeled in the course, which stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. These elements are a key component in managing change at an individual level as well as within a project. A project’s success rate can drastically increase if ADKAR is applied correctly.
After the first day of learning about the models and strategies that go into effective change management, the participants were able to create customized plans for live projects that they are currently working on, such as communication plans, coaching plans, sponsor plans, resistance management plans and training plans. Zach Nuebel from the Department of Regulatory Agencies stated: “Before the class, I did not fully understand change management and how its implementation, or lack thereof, can reverberate through an organization.” After the class, he stated that he “cannot recommend the course enough and looks forward to using the resources and tools provided for years to come.”
By the last day of the course, the participants all had a good understanding of the ADKAR model and how to implement change management strategies directly to their projects. Molly Sudmeier said, “The course provided a great toolset for managing organizational change management, engaging senior leaders and sponsors, and developing a methodical approach to reducing one of the greatest risks on projects: adoption.”
This course was effective and Michelle was successful in engaging the participants in a virtual environment. During the second day of the course the participants showed up wearing their favorite hats as seen in the photo. Michelle states, “Having fun is part of the virtual experience. We really want each cohort to have an experience and not just a training. This allows participants to network, get to know each other and help each other out as they face challenges in their work now and for years to come.”
We encourage you to find out more and please take the time to read these change management success stories.