For example, the changes implemented through change management can affect how projects get done. Sometimes, project managers actively participate in implementing these changes. But where does project management end and change management begin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll focus specifically on how these terms are different from one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, to do this, we\u2019ll first have to briefly explain: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- What project management is,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What change management is, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What change refers to in this context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So, let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Change](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Change-management-vs-project-management-cover-2-1110x555.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat is change in project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are many answers to the question \u201cWhat is change?\u201d, from deeply philosophical ones like the evolution of the self<\/em> to monetary ones like currency in the form of coins rather than paper cash<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, however, we\u2019ll only look at change<\/em> as it pertains to project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Prosci<\/a> \u2014 one of the global leaders in change management \u2014 change is a \u201cproject, initiative or solution being introduced in the organization to improve the way work gets done, solve a problem, or take advantage of an opportunity.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With regards to where change originates from, the PMBOK\u00ae Guide (7th Edition)<\/em><\/a> distinguishes between the following types of change sources in organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Internal sources \u2014 such as the inability to meet project KPIs<\/a>, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- External sources \u2014 such as regulatory changes. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
By its very nature, any change in project management is a project risk<\/a>, but this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that it\u2019s wholly negative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without context, we\u2019d all agree that change in leadership midway through a project is not a desirable state of affairs. But if said leadership was incompetent and threatened to sabotage the entire project, it becomes hard to argue against change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Change can be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Reactive \u2014 like transitioning to remote work due to a global pandemic \u2014 or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Proactive \u2014 like switching to a new task management system because it is expected to cut down costs and increase productivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
All of this is to say that, while the knee-jerk reaction to change might be unpleasant for most, change in project management is generally a positive prospect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s important is how it is implemented and managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe definition of change management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
According to PMBOK (7th Edition), \u201cChange management, or enablement, is a comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups, and organizations from a current state to a future state in which they realize desired benefits.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We could say that change management is all about: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Getting people on board with the desired change, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Preparing them to support this change, and then <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Working to reaffirm it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
We should note that change management is not the same as project change control<\/strong>, which deals with the identification and approval (or rejection) of changes to project documentation, baselines<\/a>, and deliverables<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These terms sometimes get confused, but \u2014 to avoid scope creep<\/a> and lengthy digressions \u2014 we\u2019ll only talk about change management proper and how it differs from project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The definition of project management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As per the APM definition, project management<\/a> is \u201cthe application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria and within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, project management is the structured means of getting the project done on time and on budget, usually by following one of many project management methodologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That being said, we don\u2019t want to present project management as something that\u2019s simple, as it\u2019s certainly not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proper project management requires mastery of these 10 knowledge areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Project integration management<\/a>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project scope<\/a> management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project time management<\/a>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project cost management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project quality management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project resource management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project communications management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project risk management<\/a>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project procurement management, and <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project stakeholder<\/a> management. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a closer look as to why project management is important, you can refer to this guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Why Is Project Management Important for Your Business Success?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
What are the differences between change management and project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Based solely on the definitions and explanations provided above, it can seem like project management and change management have very little in common. But in practice, the line separating the two can be murkier than it first appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if an Agile SaaS development project wants to make changes that will affect its customers, both project management and change management can get involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project management side of things implements the changes, while the change management side of things works to get customers on board with the changes and prepare\/train them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In such a case, how do we know where project management ends and change management begins?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To clear up the distinction, let\u2019s look at some of the blurry lines that can cause confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Difference #1: Outcome and output<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
First, let\u2019s define the success criteria for project management and change management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A successful project is one where the final deliverable is submitted on time, on budget, and within the agreed-upon technical specifications. In other words, the goal of project management is output-oriented<\/strong> \u2014 to create the final deliverable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conversely, change management is outcome-oriented<\/strong>. If the desired state of affairs is to go paperless, reaching that outcome will indicate success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, this isn\u2019t a binary thing \u2014 success metrics for change management can include the speed of this transition and how adept employees are at using the new system. But, by and large, change management isn\u2019t as focused on time and money as project management is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Difference #2: People and processes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll often hear that project management deals with processes while change management deals with people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this is technically true, it bears expanding upon so that there are no misunderstandings. After all, change management is often used to implement new organizational processes, which is why naming processes as the sole domain of project management and calling it a day can be confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, let\u2019s say you need to construct a bridge \u2014 a textbook example of a project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could attempt to do this without formal project management practices. You\u2019d fail, of course, but given a simpler project, you might succeed. Project management statistics<\/a> do show us that some organizations manage projects without formal PM methodologies \u2014 they even manage to meet their project goals 58% of the time, albeit by going over budget and over time in the majority of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project management is using these formal processes \u2014 like PM methodologies, Agile<\/a> frameworks or hybrid project management<\/a> \u2014 to increase the chances of project success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more structured and formalized the project management processes of an organization are, the higher their project management maturity<\/a> is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, when change management is tasked with changing a process \u2014 like switching to a better project management software<\/a> \u2014 the outcome of this change will affect project management, i.e. how you get things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, to get the change implemented in the first place, you need to get the people on board with it \u2014 this is why you\u2019ll hear that \u201cchange management deals with people\u201d. If a new process is introduced to supplant an old one, but employees keep doing things the old way, you can consider that change a failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To quote Prosci once again, \u201cchange management focuses on preparing, equipping and supporting individuals to adopt and use the changes.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n\n\n\nDifference #3: Methodologies and models<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Project management<\/strong> is a field that has been studied and improved upon for a long time. Testament to this is the sheer volume of project management methodologies that project managers can utilize to manage their projects from start to finish \u2014 like Waterfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Waterfall methodology<\/a> divides the project into 5 stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Requirements, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Design, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Implementation, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Verification, and <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Maintenance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It also doesn\u2019t allow backtracking to any previous stage, making it ideal for projects where things need to be done right the first time, like construction and manufacturing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Projects that need more breathing room in terms of requirements \u2014 like many software development projects \u2014 can instead utilize one of the many Agile frameworks \u2014 like Scrum<\/a> or Kanban<\/a> \u2014 to structure task management<\/a> and prioritization. These frameworks allow the project team to make iterative decisions and changes and improve the product as they are making it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Change management<\/strong>, on the other hand, uses completely different models \u2014 which aren\u2019t quite robust enough to be called methodologies \u2014 to successfully implement and reinforce change in an organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PMI\u2019s Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide<\/em><\/a> highlights the following 5 steps to implementing change within a project, program, or portfolio:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Formulate change,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Plan change,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Implement change,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manage transition, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Sustain change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
While this model provides a framework for how to structure change within an organization, most change practitioners also use the ADKAR Model<\/a>, which describes the 5 stages people go to when adapting to change:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Awareness,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Desire,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Knowledge,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ability, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Reinforcement.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
As the folks at Prosci say, \u201cNearly any project, initiative or solution that improves an organization will affect how employees do their day-to-day work.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, whenever you implement changes, you have to think about the people it will affect just as much as how you will plan and implement said changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Difference #4: Leadership and collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Helming a project is the project manager<\/a>, who works together with the project team<\/a> to create the final deliverable. They need to have mastery over a range of project management skills<\/a>, both soft and hard, to effectively coordinate project work and finish the project on time and on budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re not trying to say that project managers don\u2019t collaborate with their team members, just that \u2014 as project leaders \u2014 they have the authority that substantiates this \u201ccaptain and crew\u201d analogy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, you\u2019d think that the person at the helm of change initiatives would be a change manager, but this isn\u2019t necessarily the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, the term \u201cchange manager\u201d rarely gets used. You\u2019ll run into it sometimes, but most of the authoritative literature on this subject uses the term change practitioner instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Project scope<\/a> management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project integration management<\/a>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- External sources \u2014 such as regulatory changes. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Internal sources \u2014 such as the inability to meet project KPIs<\/a>, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
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