Several negative consequences to the organization can result from inadequate planning and

neglecting a change’s impact on personnel, including productivity loss, employee

disengagement, turnover, and resistance. Those negative consequences and risks will often
result in financial consequences. It will take longer for employees to get on board and begin
using the new system, process, etc., longer to master, as well as longer for the agency to
see a Return on Investment (ROI).

Change management planning is an integral part of successful change in

organizations. It isn’t performed by just one person or a group of change agents. It
requires partnership and collaboration from executives, sponsors, managers,
supervisors, and the project team throughout the entire change initiative. By being
deliberate about change management planning from the onset of a change initiative,
and by following some of our tips, your organization will be better positioned to
achieve project success, on time, on budget, and the ROI will be realized much
sooner.

Efficient Use of Resources

All organizations, large and small, have limited resources. The planning process provides the
information top management needs to make effective decisions about how to allocate the
resources in a way that will enable the organization to reach its objectives. Productivity is
maximized and resources are not wasted on projects with little chance of success.
Establishing Organizational Goals

Setting goals that challenge everyone in the organization to strive for better performance
is one of the key aspects of the planning process. Goals must be aggressive, but realistic.
Organizations cannot allow themselves to become too satisfied with how they are
currently doing – or they are likely to lose ground to competitors.
Managing Risk And Uncertainty

Managing risk is essential to an organization’s success. Even the largest corporations cannot
control the economic and competitive environment around them. Unforeseen events occur that
must be dealt with quickly, before negative financial consequences from these events become
severe.

Planning encourages the development of “what-if” scenarios, where managers attempt to

envision possible risk factors and develop contingency plans to deal with them. The pace of
change in business is rapid, and organizations must be able to rapidly adjust their strategies to
these changing conditions.

Creating Competitive Advantages

Planning helps organizations get a realistic view of their current strengths and weaknesses
relative to major competitors. The management team sees areas where competitors may be
vulnerable and then crafts marketing strategies to take advantage of these weaknesses.
Observing competitors’ actions can also help organizations identify opportunities they may have
overlooked, such as emerging international markets or opportunities to market products to
completely different customer groups.