The Service Now

CHANGE

MANAGEMENT

AND AGILE

The intersection of the people side of change

and Agile development processes

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

AND AGILE

© 2017 Prosci, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-930885-64-6

Editors – Tim Creasey, Kent Ganvik, Susie Patterson, Robert Stise

Study design – Tim Creasey, Susie Patterson, Robert Stise

Data visualization – Robert Stise, Shelby Perez

Contributors – Robert Stise, Sarah Allred, Kent Ganvik, Eva Cook

Copy editor – Alana Birky

Design – Shelby Perez, Nadzeya Navasad

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval

system, without prior written permission of Prosci.

Copyright © Prosci Inc.

Change Management and Agile 2

Introduction

Organizational adoption of Agile

Change management in an Agile environment

Driving successful change in an Agile enviroment

Change management practice areas

Sponsorship

Structured change management approach

Resources

Integrating with project management

Employee engagement

Communications

Middle managers

Training

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CONTENTS

Copyright © Prosci Inc.

Change Management and Agile 3

Resistance management

Reinforcement

Conclusion: adapting change management in an Agile environment

Managing the transition to Agile

Motivation and contributors to success when transitioning to Agile

Structuring the transition to Agile

Stakeholder Engagement in the move to Agile

Competencies required in the transition to Agile

Resistance to transitioning to Agile

Sustaining Agile

Conclusion: managing the transition to Agile

Appendix: participant demographics

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Copyright © Prosci Inc.

Change Management and Agile 4

This study explores the intersection of Agile development approaches

and change management. Agile development approaches break a

project down into contained iterations (often called “sprints”) and

emphasize adaptation along the project lifecycle. Change management

is an approach to deliver people-dependent return on investment and

drive adoption and usage of change. Change management does this by

preparing, equipping and supporting people through their own change

processes. Whether an initiative uses a traditional waterfall approach

or an Agile approach, creating expected value and delivering results

depends on people successfully transitioning.

In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on iterative

Agile approaches to improve project outcomes. Agile approaches aim

to reduce risk, increase visibility and quicken business value through

continuous and evolving development. The term “Agile” emerged in 2001

and was captured in the Agile Manifesto which describes the four values

and twelve principles of Agile Software Development, although iterative

project management techniques preceded that document for decades.

The discipline of change management emphasizes the “people side” of

various types of organizational change. During the early 21st century,

change management has advanced to provide rigorous, structured

approaches to enabling successful individual transitions. Application of

change management occurs across industries and on various project

types. Change management seeks to improve project outcomes

whenever an initiative impacts how people do their jobs and when