Failure in change management is often defined as identifying issues or inaccuracies well into the latter stages of the change’s lifecycle or, in the very worst-case scenarios, after going live.  

This issue is costly, time-consuming and it’s holding businesses back from true digital transformation; companies either experience failure and therefore spend a lot of time reworking changes, or they’re paralyzed by fear of something breaking and therefore hold off on making changes altogether. 

But to be successful in such a competitive market, change is unavoidable. What you can avoid is change failure – we’ll show you how this is possible in four simple steps. 

1. Invest properly

When we refer to investment here, it’s not about money but time. Take the time to map out a proper scope so that you’re clear on the intention of the change, the entire plan, and its dependencies within the system. Time spent up front means you can reap the rewards at later stages and enables you to go into changes confidently, not blindly. 

Understandably, devoting serious time just to reduce the risk of failure isn’t always possible, so you also need to create time through automation. 

2. Automate where possible

Resources are often stretched in change and release management, but especially when so much of it is being focused on correcting failures. The most experienced staff members are frequently forced into the role of firefighting while those with less experience become responsible for scoping, planning, developing and deploying the next changes. They may miss critical dependencies and relationships, leaving the businesses at risk of falling into a cycle of change failure. 

However, automation is a clear solution. By automating as many of the standard tasks as possible to free up expertise, the team can solely focus on the planning and early phases where they can have a greater impact. 

3. Remember, the scope is as important as the change itself

Even if a business has a more senior team focused on the early phases of production, a common hurdle is an ill-defined scope. Changes can make it into production but can still be classed as failures because teams failed to adequately capture the requirements in the scope or get full buy-in from all the relevant stakeholders. 

To avoid this, smooth and appropriate governance and stakeholder engagement is essential. If everyone feels invested, the chances of success are greatly increased.

4. Prioritize early risk management to avoid unexpected costs

There will always be an element of upfront investment from both a resource and financial perspective when it comes to mapping out a change. If nothing else, it will help businesses avoid huge development and testing costs later on down the line.  

Software tools like ActiveDiscover from Basis Technologies do the heavy lifting in identifying hazards and dependencies during planning and early development, while shining a light on the best route to making a change successful.