The terms ‘Change readiness’ and ‘Business readiness’ are often used interchangeably. They both involve checking whether everything planned has been actioned before the go-live of a project.
Confusingly, they may or may not mean the same thing, depending on 1) the size and complexity of the change, and 2) who may be involved.
Change readiness
A typical Change readiness checklist ahead of project go-live may look like this:
- The Change Manager has completed all required engagement, communication, and training activities
- Floor walkers and the customer support team are prepped with FAQs and handy reference guides
- Muffins are on-order for the post go-live morning tea
- All Change activities are complete
- Pulse checks with key stakeholders confirm that they are ready and excited for the Change
The Change readiness checklist can be completed and signed off in this case.
However, if some of these activities are outside the control of the Change Manager, there may be a different, separate checklist.
Business readiness
Before go-live, additional activities outside the responsibility of the Change Manager may need to be completed, such as:
- Data migration
- Back-ups
- Arranging power shutdowns
- Organising out-of-hours building access
- Support models
- Escalation processes
These items will be listed on the Business readiness checklist.
But… It’s not always this clear-cut
Ahead of go-live, it is often desirable to check with impacted stakeholders whether they feel ready to move to the next delivery phase, by sending readiness surveys or spot checks.
The Change Manager will often be heavily involved in these tasks, in which case they will be listed on the Change readiness checklist.
However, in some instances, go-live happens months after the Change Manager has left, so these tasks must be a part of the Business readiness checklist.
Ultimately, Change readiness and Business readiness are checklists where:
- those responsible confirm tasks have been completed
- where tasks remain open, responsibility & deadlines are assigned
ChangePlan’s readiness checklists can help
Our software solution ChangePlan is a single source of truth for change that enables Change managers and Project managers to create multiple checklists, assign actions and track completion across projects, portfolios, programs and even the whole organization.
ChangePlan’s intuitive dashboards give sponsors & senior leaders clear, real-time information about readiness completion, meaning there are no surprises, and they can make better-informed decisions about project sequencing, resourcing and strategy.
We’d love to give you and your team a personal tour of ChangePlan. Click here to schedule your demo
