Thought Leadership

The Benefits of Integrating Project Management and Change Management

Written by Prosci Europe | May 19, 2023 10:31:48 AM

In today's dynamic business environment, the integration of project management and change management is not just beneficial, it's essential. While these disciplines often operate independently, bringing them together significantly enhances the likelihood of meeting objectives and achieving success.

Project management provides the structure, processes, and tools necessary for technical execution, while change management ensures that employees embrace, adopt, and effectively utilise the change. Together, project and change management create a powerful synergy that drives successful and sustainable change initiatives.

Enhanced Communication

Integrating change management and project management activities improves the flow of information. On the front end, the integrated approach ensures that impacted employees receive the appropriate messages. On the back end, it ensures that the project team receives effective feedback on adoption, usage, and reaction to the change.

Improved Alignment

Improved alignment between technical and people activities is crucial for ensuring smooth transitions and readiness throughout the change process. By synchronising these two aspects, organisations can effectively coordinate technical implementations with the human elements of change, such as employee engagement and adoption. This alignment ensures that technical solutions are not only delivered efficiently but are also embraced and utilised by the workforce. As a result, organisations can achieve seamless transitions, minimise disruptions, and enhance readiness, ultimately leading to more successful and sustainable change initiatives.

Download: The Value of Integrating Change Management and Project Management



Creating a Shared Objective

Both project managers and change managers are focused on achieving the set objectives for the proposed change. The efforts of both project management and change management, when integrated, can focus towards a shared objective to improve the performance of the organisation by successfully implementing a change that delivers the intended results and outcomes. Integration at the process dimension enables these two complementary disciplines to be more effective in sequencing work, aligning the timing of activities, and exchanging information crucial to project success.

Progress Your Career

Adopting change management into your role as a project manager isn't only beneficial for an organisation, but it also offers great benefits for your professional progression. Develop your project management skill set by equipping yourself with the ability to effectively manage the people side of a change, rather than just the technical side. Consider pursuing certifications or training in change management to further enhance your capabilities project manager qualifications and career opportunities.

An integrated approach increases the effectiveness of project delivery and the chances that sustained change takes place. Integration of change management and project management enables the practitioners doing the work to be more aligned, the activities more effectively sequenced and the tools in use more robust. Regardless of your specific approach to integrating people, processes, tools and methodologies, integration of change management and project management provides a more complete approach and solution to creating sustained and meaningful change in the organisation.

Learn More

If you are interested in developing these skills to become a Prosci certified change practitioner, attend an upcoming  Prosci Practitioner Certification Programme. Find out more or download the brochure.  

We also offers private on-site training and advisory support worldwide. For more information on our virtual and remote options, get in touch!