Management of Change Process in 5 Simple Steps

Making changes in your company can be stressful and risky, and managing those changes without a management of change process can be even more so. Without a solid process in place it can also be time consuming and expensive! Whether the change is new technology implementation, process updates, compliance initiatives, or reorganization, a good management of change process can save you hours or even days as well as a decent amount of money.

Learn more about management of change here.

Here are some simple steps to follow to save you the time and stress and save your company the risk and money associated with making changes.

1. Discovery

Identify the change that needs to be made and what can be improved. Most changes are meant to improve your company’s processes, safety, or product it is extremely important to be focused and clear on the goal of the change. This needs to include identifying the resources and individuals that will be needed to facilitate the process. Knowing what you need to improve is the foundation for a successful and easy implementation of the change.

It is also important to identify who is qualified to approve the plan and include this in your management of change process. In later steps they will need to document their approval for your records.

2. Plan

There are most likely individuals in your company who will need to direct and finance the change. They will want to know the expected outcome and they must have a good understanding of the change and the reason for it in order for you to get buy-in.

Include what the change will be, why it needs to take place, and how long it should take. Create a detailed plan that identifies how the changes need to be carried out in order to be successful. This management of change plan should include what resources need to be used, the scope of work, and the cost of the plan. A multi-step process should be written to avoid sudden unplanned and unexpected changes that can create organizational issues and confusion. The management of change process needs clear steps with measurable targets for analysis.

Document whether a meeting is required prior to the change and if not, why it isn’t. Include any necessary files with your documentation- documents like regulations, images that show the issue, or other clarifying documents should all be kept with your management of change plan.

If the change is an emergency change or a temporary change, explain why and include an end date in the management of change plan.

3. Pre-approval

Provide the plan to the previously identified individuals from step one. If they give you pre-approval to get started move forward, if they do not approve the change update the plan to meet their requirements. Once the plan has all necessary pre-approvals you can move forward to the next step. Now is also a good time to assign the necessary PSR (process safety review) to the MOC if it is required. If it is not required for this change document why it is not required.

4. Review

As changes are being made it is important that they are reviewed by qualified individuals who can sign off that they believe it was made correctly and safely. Sign offs at this step need to be stored with the MOC. If one of the reviewers denies their approval, document why and make any necessary changes to meet their requirements. Be sure to track any corrective or preventative actions or tasks that are assigned during this process and all paperwork and signoff associated with them.

5. Approval

Once the change has been completed, your management of change process needs to include a final approval that allows the qualified individual(s) to sign and date for the completion of the change or deny it if needed. These signoffs need to be kept with the MOC process documents.

For an easier way to stay on top of your management of change process reach out in the link below!