Rebooting your career can be an unusual but invigorating experience. Following almost three decades in the military, I was on the lookout for a new and exciting opportunity. That chance came when I was offered a position at my utility company to assess the management and upkeep of its conventional power plants in the southern United States. I became part of a dedicated team of experienced commercial power plant operators, both in conventional and nuclear energy, led by a manager with a clear vision of excellence. He outlined the obstacles the fleet was encountering and explained how our team could influence the future of operations. I was thrilled to be a part of it all.
The Situation
After a few months in my role, I was given the chance to oversee the transition of our business function to a new enterprise asset management (EAM) system. I was tasked with managing a team of four employees and collaborating with two other business units to determine business needs, create, and secure approval for replacing an outdated, in-house software application that had been in use for twenty years. Initially, it appeared to be a straightforward task. While my team worked hard to find the best solution for the business, we also worked tirelessly with business sponsors to contain costs while exploring the potential financial benefits. It took a lengthy two years before we finally received approval, but not without consequences. My business function was removed from the approved project scope.
At this moment, my program director, who used to serve in the Navy, suggested a new idea. He proposed, "Chris, how about leading the Change Management team during the project's execution phase?" Embracing challenges, I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity and partnered with a contractor skilled in EAM transitions and the subsequent transformations that follow. Our responsibilities were clear-cut: overseeing project communications, creating and providing training, and leading business involvement to enhance employee trust and proficiency in the new system prior to its launch.
Task and Actions
Together with my partner, we created a detailed schedule of numerous tasks to complete: conducting a change impact analysis, performing a stakeholder analysis, identifying intersections of change impact and stakeholders, carrying out a training needs analysis, and then creating a training strategy and plan. Additionally, we developed a communications assessment, strategy, and plan, among other tasks. We assembled a team of exceptional professionals and within a year, we established an employee change network, designed 25 training courses, constructed a tailored training platform for employees, and provided training to 62 employees to serve as instructors for the new system.
The Results
Before the system was deployed, we provided more than 37,000 hours of training to over 11,000 employees, resulting in a 39% increase in confidence regarding the ability to perform job functions in the new system. Upon deployment, we confirmed that business productivity in the new system recovered to its original level within 5 working days of the transition, reducing the time spent in the challenging "valley of despair." Although the workforce did face the inevitable feelings of fear, anger, resistance, and doubt, working together with the development team we managed to mitigate major production disruptions anticipated by our business sponsors.
Moving On
The program has concluded, and team members have transitioned to new projects or positions. There are numerous insights to share, and I am available to discuss them with you at any time.
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