The define change strategy task is used to develop and estimate alternative ways to fulfill the change and select the right approach.
It is easier to define a change when the present and future states are already defined because then the stakeholders would know what changes are required.
The change strategy is used to describe the change in the following ways:
1. the circumstances of the change.
2. identify other change strategies.
3. reasons why this is the best change strategy.
4. investment and resources required to fulfill the future state.
5. How value would be realized by the enterprise after the solution is delivered.
6. The stakeholders involved in the change.
7. The transition states along the way.
There are different representations of the change which depends on the stakeholder perspective. The change strategy can be represented as a part of the business case, a statement of work or an enterprise strategic plan.
To achieve the change there are various transition states that the enterprise has to go through. The transition states should state in detail what has been done and what is yet to be accomplished.
There are five elements that can help with the define change strategy task and they are:
1. Solution scope: the solution is the change which would fulfill the enterprise needs. The stakeholders might review multiple solutions before they make a decision on the best one to fulfill their needs.
The solution scope defined the boundaries of the solution and it has to be defined in enough detail to make the stakeholders understand its capabilities.
The solution scope can be described in numerous ways including its capabilities, its technology, its functions, its network, its processes and the business rules.
2. Gap analysis: Gap analysis is used to identify the changes required to get from enterprise its current state to the future state. To accomplish this the current and future states both have to be clearly defined.
Gap analysis can be used to identify the gaps that are preventing the enterprise from fulfilling its needs and accomplishing its goals.
It examines the current processes, technology, structure, capabilities and resources to see if can be used in the solution.
If the existing resources are capable of being used in the solution then they would be used and the solution can just be a process improvement project.
3. Enterprise readiness assessment: The business analyst has to analyze its enterprise to assess its capability to make the transition to the future solution.
The readiness assessment is used to consider the enterprise’s capability to make the change, its ability to use and sustain the solution and its ability to realize value from the solution.
Factors that are also considered in the enterprise readiness assessment include the operational readiness, cultural readiness, timeline of the solution and available resources.
4. Change strategy: a change strategy is a high level plan of the activities which would transform the enterprise from its current state to the future state.
The change strategy can be composed of numerous smaller projects which would be used to move the enterprise to the future state.
During the development of the change strategy, various solution options are identified and analysed for feasibility.
These options can be identified through numerous ways including brain storming, workshops, competitors approach and other markets strategies.
Once the preferred change strategy is selected from the options it is developed.
To select the right change strategy the following need to be considered:
a. The organizational readiness.
b. The costs needed to make the change.
c. Timeline to make the change.
d. Alignment to the enterprise business objectives.
e. The time it would take for the enterprise to realize its value.
f. The opportunity costs of the change strategy.
The opportunity cost refers to the benefits that could be realized by selecting an alternative change strategy.
5. Transition states and release planning: The future change might be achieved through a series of small changes rather than one big change and those series of changes could take some time.
So the release planning is used to decide which requirements to include in each release of the change.
There are many factors to consider when making the decision on what to release and these factors include the budget, timeline constraint, resource constraint and the enterprise ability to adapt to the change.