The Best Change Management Plan Template for Your Team

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Just getting started on your project management journey? Hive has you covered. As a project management and collaboration tool, we’ve seen many, many simple projects come and go through Hive. And even the not-so-simple projects have helped us better understand how to enable success across global teams.

We’ve boiled down those insights and feedback we’ve received to create a change management template built for teams of all sizes and workflows.

Using this change management plan template in Hive

Use this change management plan template to understand some of the basic functionality in Hive, how projects can be laid out, how change management and collaboration can take place in Hive and align with the overall project planning process.

Even if you’ve never worked with a project management tool before, this is the first step to get you set up in Hive correctly. Whether you’re hoping for a change management action plan template, a change management communications plan template, or a free change management plan template, we’ve got you covered and can make this template work for you.

If you don’t have an existing Hive account, you’ll need to visit this link and create your Hive workspace. From there, templates will be available to use when you create a project, or from the blue “?” in the upper right corner of your workspace. Just click on “Template Library” to navigate to our pre-saved project template list.

Another option for applying templates comes when you create a new project from Hive’s new project modal. When you click on “New Project,” you’ll see “Apply template” as an option:

It’s always an option to apply these templates in Hive from multiple ways, depending on what works for your team.

What is change management?

Change management is the process of planning, implementing, and adapting to changes within an organization. It is a structured approach that aims to effectively manage and navigate individuals, teams, and the organization itself through transitional periods.

Change management is a crucial process in today’s fast-paced business environment. It involves planning, implementing, and monitoring changes to ensure a smooth transition and successful outcomes. In a constantly evolving world, organizations must adapt to stay competitive and meet the ever-changing needs of stakeholders.

Change management is important because it mitigates risks associated with changes, minimizes resistance from employees, and maximizes the benefits of the change. It helps organizations navigate through complex transitions, such as mergers and acquisitions, new technology implementations, process improvements, or organizational restructuring. Effective change management improves employee engagement, enhances productivity, and fosters a culture of innovation.

To successfully manage change, organizations need to follow a structured approach. This includes identifying the need for change, establishing clear objectives, and communicating the reasons behind the change to employees. Involving employees in the change process through effective communication and training is crucial to overcome resistance and gain their buy-in. Additionally, creating a supportive environment where employees feel heard and valued during the change process is essential.

Change management requires strong leadership and effective project management skills. It involves developing a change management plan, setting milestones, monitoring progress, and addressing any issues that may arise. Regular evaluation and feedback are important to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved and to make any necessary adjustments to the change process.

Goals of change management

The goal of change management is to ensure a smooth transition and minimize any negative impact on employees, customers, and stakeholders. Effective change management involves several key steps. Firstly, it is essential to clearly communicate the reasons for change and the benefits it will bring. This helps to gain buy-in and reduce resistance from employees. It is also crucial to involve employees in the change process, allowing them to provide input and feel a sense of ownership in the change.

Furthermore, change management requires careful planning and taking into account the potential risks and challenges that may arise. It is important to implement change in incremental steps rather than making sudden, overwhelming changes. This allows employees to adjust gradually and build skills and capabilities needed for the change.

Change management support

Change management also involves providing adequate support and resources to employees during the transition. Training and development programs may be necessary to equip employees with the skills and knowledge necessary for the new way of working. Additionally, regular communication and feedback channels should be established to address concerns and provide updates.

In conclusion, change management is a critical process for organizations to effectively navigate and adapt to changes. It involves careful planning, communication, involvement of employees, and ongoing support. With effective change management, organizations can successfully implement changes and emerge stronger and more resilient.

Hive’s change management plan template

With this change management plan template, we’ve laid the project out in Gantt view, so teammates can see the overall timeline and how the different tasks interact with each other. Defining your goals and objectives is ideally the first place that you’d start, which is why it leads off the timeline with a subsection for three underlying objectives that you’ll want to work towards.

From there, elements like comms plan creation, risk management mitigation, stakeholder identification, and more are plotted out throughout the Gantt chart timeline in this change management plan template. Colors for each task correspond to the label that we’ve applied to help further differentiate task category and urgency.

This change management plan template is designed to help you:

  • Plan and initiate successful change at your organization
  • Keep teammates informed and aligned on progress over time
  • Collaborate easily around existing initiatives and projects

When you click into any of the color blocks, you’ll be taken directly to the action card, where you can edit, alter, or comment with feedback regarding progress throughout your use of this change management plan template.

This change management plan template includes:

Once you kick off a project from this change management plan template, you’ll be able to edit all of the tasks, subtasks, due dates, and assignees to fit your specific workflow. If it’s easier, you can just use the template as inspiration or a starting point, and create a separate project based on the part of the template that works for you.

Why Hive templates?

Project templates, like this change management plan template, are valuable tools that streamline the project management process, saving time, effort, and resources. They provide a standardized framework that guides project managers and team members in planning, executing, and monitoring projects. 

Here are a few reasons why project templates are essential:

Consistency: 

Project templates ensure consistency across projects. By providing predefined structures and deliverables, they help maintain uniformity in project management practices. This allows organizations to establish a standardized approach, making it easier to compare and analyze project outcomes.

Efficiency:

Templates expedite project initiation by providing a ready-made framework. Project managers can save significant time by eliminating the need to create project plans from scratch. Templates include sections for objectives, scope, timelines, milestones, and resources, making it simpler for project managers to identify critical tasks and allocate resources effectively.

Best practices: 

Templates often incorporate industry-recognized best practices and methodologies, such as Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall, ensuring that projects adhere to proven strategies. These templates are designed by experts who have experience in managing successful projects. Utilizing such templates can help organizations avoid common pitfalls and adopt effective strategies that have yielded positive outcomes in the past.

Communication: 

Project templates promote efficient communication among project stakeholders. They provide a structured format for documenting project details, goals, and progress, which can be easily shared with team members, clients, and senior management. Templates also facilitate clear and consistent communication by standardizing project reporting and documentation, making it easier for different stakeholders to understand the project’s status and make informed decisions.

Risk management: 

Templates often include sections for risk identification, mitigation, and contingency planning. Following a predefined risk management plan helps project managers proactively identify potential risks, formulate appropriate strategies, and allocate resources accordingly. By providing a systematic approach to risk management, templates enable project managers to anticipate potential obstacles and mitigate them effectively.

Using templates like Hive’s project templates, OKR templates, and more offer numerous advantages to organizations by providing a standard framework, promoting consistency, streamlining processes, and fostering efficient communication. 

They allow project managers to save time, improve project outcomes, and effectively manage risks. By adopting project templates, organizations can enhance their project management practices, achieve better results, and maximize their overall productivity.

Why Hive?

We’re a project management and collaboration tool built to help you get more done faster. Project templates, like this change management template, are just one of the many ways we do just that.

Want to learn more about Hive? We’ve got you covered. Hive University is a great place to start, as are our weekly demos and webinars, which you can learn more about here.

Here’s a full breakdown of our pricing plans, including free plans for small teams and starter plans for small businesses.

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