Change Management: Why Most Projects Get It Wrong

I've seen it happen countless times. A perfectly planned project, excellent technical delivery, and yet somehow, six months later, everyone's reverted to their old ways of working. The systems are in place, but nobody's using them properly. The processes are documented, but people have found workarounds. What went wrong?

The truth is, most projects treat change management as an afterthought - a series of checkboxes to tick off and communication plans to execute. But real change isn't about ticking boxes. It's about understanding how people actually adapt to new ways of working.

The Human Side of Change

Let's be honest - people don't resist change, they resist being changed. When was the last time you heard someone complain about getting a pay rise or a better office? Never. People resist change when they don't understand it, when they don't see what's in it for them, or when they feel it's being done to them rather than with them.

I recently worked with a manufacturing company implementing a new production management system. The technical implementation was flawless, but adoption was painfully low. Why? Because nobody had bothered to explain to the shop floor workers how this would make their lives easier. They saw it as another management monitoring tool, rather than what it really was - a system to help them work more efficiently and reduce their administrative burden.

The Leadership Vacuum

One of the most common failures I see is what I call the "leadership vacuum." Senior leaders announce the change with great fanfare, then disappear into their offices, leaving middle managers to figure out the details. This creates a dangerous disconnect.

Your middle managers are the keystone of any change initiative. They're the ones who have to translate grand visions into day-to-day reality. If they don't understand or buy into the change, it's dead in the water. I've seen entire transformation programmes fail because organisations forgot this simple truth.

Communication: Quality Over Quantity

There's an old saying that you need to communicate change seven times before people hear it. I'd argue it's not about the number of times you communicate - it's about the quality and relevance of that communication.

The best change communication I've ever seen was in a bank's IT transformation project. Instead of sending out endless corporate emails, they created a series of "Day in the Life" scenarios showing exactly how different roles would be affected - and improved - by the change. They made it real, relevant, and personal.

Creating Momentum Through Early Wins

Nothing builds credibility like success. I always advocate for finding quick, visible wins early in any change programme. These don't have to be massive achievements - they just need to demonstrate tangible benefits to the people affected by the change.

In one public sector project, we deliberately chose to implement the most requested improvements first, even though they weren't the most technically complex. This created a groundswell of support that carried us through the more challenging phases of the programme.

The Forgotten Phase: Sustainability

Here's where most projects really fall down - they declare victory too soon. The new system is live, the processes are documented, training is complete. Time to move on to the next project, right? Wrong.

Real change takes time to embed. You need to plan for at least 3-6 months of sustained support after go-live. This means having change champions in place, maintaining visible leadership support, and continuously monitoring adoption and addressing issues.

Making Change Stick

The projects I've seen succeed all share one common factor: they make the new way easier than the old way. If your change requires people to do more work, jump through more hoops, or deal with more complexity without clear benefits, it won't stick.

I worked with a team implementing a new project management methodology. Instead of just documenting the process, we created templates, automated routine tasks, and set up peer support networks. We made it easier to do things the right way than the wrong way.

The Reality Check

Change management isn't a dark art, but it does require patience, understanding, and above all, a recognition that people aren't spreadsheets. You can't just move them from column A to column B and expect them to stay there.

Success comes from understanding that change is a journey, not an event. It requires constant attention, adjustment, and reinforcement. Most importantly, it requires leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and lead by example.

Remember, the goal isn't just to implement change - it's to make that change stick. And that only happens when people choose to work in the new way because it's better, not because they're forced to.

The next time you're planning a project, put as much thought into how you'll manage the change as you do into the technical delivery. Your future self will thank you for it.