The tools and techniques contained in this toolkit provide a starting point when developing an approach to generating support and commitment as the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) implements new ways of doing business.

Change management should be executed at two levels to support strategic and tactical Public Financial Management Reform (PFMR). At the strategic level, change management impacts the larger organization on a broader scale and intends to build support and commitment to creating a culture that embraces the methods, tools and techniques of “Business Transformation”. An example of this is the implementation of an enterprise-wide Financial

 Management Information System (FMIS) to support the PFMR Project. At the tactical level, change management activity focuses on the workforce specifically affected by Business Transformation. An example of this could be a continuous improvement project focused on a smaller sub-process within the MEF. 

Change management is a discipline that should be considered at the onset of any reform or improvement project, either strategic or tactical, and needs to be continuously monitored throughout any effort from many perspectives. The change management models and tools presented herein apply on both levels, but will require customization depending on the complexity of the change and the level of the audience you are addressing. For example, senior leadership alignment is more crucial at a strategic level. As stakeholders, senior leaders are much less affected by a tactical project than are frontline leaders who are held accountable to manage the implementation of solutions resulting from the project. 

Recognizing that change management is more art than science, the optimal solution is attained by the FMIS project team collaborating with MEF leadership to: 

1. Understand how the work will change.
2. Identify who will be affected, and how.

3.  Understand the organizational challenges to gaining necessary stakeholder commitment and develop an approach to meet these needs, according to the eight success factors. (To be discussed later in this toolkit)

1. Execute the MEF change management plan. 

Gaining this type of common understanding across the project team is important in order to develop change advocates as well as to determine early communication messages and ensure consistency in the communications as a whole – “One Voice”. 

Most of the tools described herein are assessment focused, intended to direct your change management thinking and data gathering. 

However, several activity tools to guide your efforts in taking action as a result of your assessments are also included. Keep in mind that no tool perfectly fits your project situation. These are intended to be customized and streamlined as needed to fit MEF and the other Ministries and Provincial Treasuries involved in the PFMRP. 

Change management actions can be organized around eight Critical Success Factors. The actions, and the order in which they are taken, are entirely dependent on the nature of the risks that are either evident or emerge during the change initiative. Change management practitioners have identified eight “classic” risks that will potentially affect most change projects and the critical success factors have been developed to mitigate these. The risks and critical success factors are set out in the table below.