The simplest definition of change management is making change in a planned and managed fashion. Change management differs from project management in that it focuses on the social and cultural aspects of an organisation with user-acceptance of the change a key objective.

The introduction of new information technologies is usually disruptive to the status quo in organisations and workgroups. This is especially important to consider when planning organisation-wide information management solutions, which by their nature can change long-established business processes.

The movement from the current state to the desired state creates an inevitable ‘Performance Dip’, which reflects this disruption to the status quo.  The goal of change management is to minimise the depth and duration of the Performance Dip as depicted in the facing diagram.

Anticipating and accommodating change proactively, rather than reactively, is the most effective course of action. For a new information technology to be successful, change management planning should begin during a project’s earliest stages.