Overview of Management of Change: Part 3

Last week we continued our discussion on more aspects of a great management of change program. In Part 1 & 2 of our overview, we explored the actions that precipitate making the change. Today, we will discuss the implementation of the change, as well as required follow-up actions.

First, we will want to execute any pre-implementation changes and corresponding mitigation efforts that were identified. Subsequent to the implementation we will want to perform any post-implementation tasks that are required.  Example would include updating procedures or modifying training materials to address the change.  

Next, we need to confirm the effectiveness of the change.  Once the change has been implemented it is important to make sure that the change does what it was intended to do. Sometimes organizations experience undesirable results. When this happens, we must determine if the system should be restored to the old model, or develop a new MOC to address the unintended results.

Finally, we need to follow-up and confirm the success of our mitigation efforts. This ensures that the new system will not produce any unseen difficulties for the organization. Also, we need to verify that the change is going to leave the system running smoothly and safely. Once all of these steps have been completed in their entirety, then the change can be closed.

After closure, we still have one final but critical step remaining. We must perform surveillance audits to confirm the changes were carried out consistently and the system is being used as intended. Comprehensive process audits are a great way to determine implementation results.   Randomly selecting a few processes related to the change and auditing them is a good way to achieve this. It is important to remember that audits should be performed at periodic intervals.  The frequency of audits depends on several factors, but should be scheduled in a manner that guarantees the sustainability of the change.

For more information on how Accupoint’s solutions can help streamline your MoC program, visit www.accupointsoftware.com or call us at (800) 563-6250.