70% of all company transformation initiatives tend to fail, according to Forbes. While the failure of simple initiatives such as a new workplace layout might seem trivial, the failure of change initiatives in the IT world can be the detriment of your organization. In IT, change can involve using a different type of software, introducing a new patch and even indulging in a new way of monitoring.
The bottom line, however, is that any change that is introduced into your organization should do nothing short of improving the performance of the entire organization. Having clear change management policies will ensure that no initiative strays from this goal.
Here is why change management should be a priority:
Tackle Any Unexpected Challenges
Even the most evaluated change initiatives might have some loopholes that you might have failed to identify before applying them. For instance, an application patch might work to eliminate the ad hoc vulnerability while at the same time it introduces your organization to another problem. As such, it only makes sense to be ready for the unexpected.
A good change management program should outline the procedures to follow in case a change initiative fails. This will include details on how to document the change and the people to involve. Furthermore, if the change management policies outline the use of technology such as syslog server software, it can become easier to anticipate such challenges arising from IT change.
Bring All Hands on Deck
Change is typically organization-wide, and can only be effective if all involved individuals tend to comply with the guidelines. This includes both individuals in the C-suite and those in the lower ranks of the organization. For instance, if a top IT manager forgets to use strong passwords, hackers can use this loophole to access the application’s code and make detrimental code changes.
Other than avoiding such situations, some change initiatives will require some form of collaboration between team members. They need to be in constant communication for success and to avoid resistance to change. Without a well-laid down policy on how to best go through with such plans, your organization will be in confusion.
Reduce Resource Wastage
The wastage of resources can easily eat into the performance of your application. For instance, using too much memory for storing files that are no longer necessary in the monitoring of an application might eventually lead to the slowdown of the application. Additionally, the employees who commit to such practices will waste time that could have been spent doing things that are more beneficial to the organization.
With a change management policy in place, the above incidents can be avoided. Employees will already know what to do with each resource that they are provided with. They will also commit to ensuring that the already allocated resources are used efficiently.
Establish the Best Practices
There are multiple ways to approach improving application performance, but only a few can lead to optimal performance. The trick is to identify this needle in the haystack of options. In most cases, your IT department will need to reassess the changes made in the past to pick an option that is effective enough.
Without a template of how to evaluate the different options for approaching an initiative, it becomes tough to make the right choice. Change management ensures that your team is guided throughout the change period and they can make the necessary adjustments. For instance, change management will help you understand how to approach vulnerability prioritization in situations where there are numerous vulnerabilities that your organization is exposed to.
Conclusion
Without enough control over change, even in the IT environment, it is typical to experience resistance to change. Change management simply helps to transform a new initiative into a normal activity with fewer hurdles. Ensure that you have an elaborate change management policy to improve the overall performance of your IT assets.