Change Management
Plan Template
Change can be tough, but this template has got your back! It’s
designed to make managing change within your organizationeasy and efficient. It will guide you through the change
management process, from identifying the rationale for thechange to assessing risks and opportunities. Use this template
alongside our guide to cloud adoption and change management
and you’ll be equipped with all the tools and resources needed
to navigate change effectively and ensure organization-wide (orteam-wide) adoption of any change you roll out.

1. Project detailsThis is where you provide all the essential information about the change you are planning to makewithin your organization. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers right away - this is a work inprogress! Just be as specific as you can with the information you have at this point. The more details
you can provide, the more effective your change management plan will be. Remember, the purposeof this section is to help you and your organization stay focused and aligned throughout the change
process. So, let’s get started - fill in the details and get ready to navigate change like a pro.

What is the type of change you are making /planning to make in your organization?

What is the project about?

What is driving this change?
Why are you making this change?

Size of change

How many people will be impacted? How
many systems are changing? How many newsystems are being introduced?

Change lead

Who is the person in charge of defining anddriving the change management plan?

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

12. Set your vision and define success
Building a shared understanding and gaining alignment on the change initiative is vital to ensuring
the success of your rollout, so take your time and be thoughtful when answering the followingquestions. When you’re finished, you’ll be able to define a clear vision for your change initiative andset a path for achieving success.

What is your vision for this change?

What does success look like after the change
has been implemented?

What are we trying to achieve with thischange?

What is the expected outcome of this change?
What does the end state look like? What’s in itfor them?

This is the vision you share with yourstakeholders.

Who will be impacted and how?

What are the key mindset shifts that need tohappen for the change to be successful?

What is changing for whom? How will thischange uniquely impact specific groups?

What changes in mindset are necessary for
individuals to achieve success? In other words,
what new ways of thinking do people needto adopt in order to reach the desired level ofsuccess?

This will impact your training andcommunication plan.

How will you measure success of this change?

What are the risks of this change not being
successful?

What are the risks of this change not being
successful?

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

What are the key metrics you will monitor
to determine that the change has beensuccessful?

What happens if this change is not successful?

What’s standing in your way?

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3. Your adoption team
Now that you’ve established your vision, it’s time to identify those who will help you turn thatvision into a reality. These are the individuals who will be responsible for driving and sponsoring thechange.
Executive sponsorship is critical to the success of any change initiative, and it’s important toidentify and engage the right people from the start. By doing so, you’ll be able to secure thenecessary resources, obtain buy-in, unify the organization under a shared vision for success, andgather valuable expertise to ensure the change initiative is aligned with business and technicalrequirements.

Who is responsible for the change?

What are the roles of each person responsible
for the change?

Who is sponsoring the change? Why is theirsponsorship critical to the success of thischange?

Name of person/team responsible for
implementing the change and the success ofthe change

List of responsibilities for each person/team
implementing the change

Name of the executive sponsor(s) and why
their sponsorship is so important. If you don’t
have an executive sponsor identified - who
might you tap as a sponsor?

Name of technical SMEs and why they areimportant
Who are the technical and business SMEs youneed to enroll to ensure project success, andwhy?

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

Name of business SMEs and why they areimportant3

4. Scope the rollout
This is where the rubber meets the road and your adoption team begins to implement the changes
that you’ve envisioned. Take the time here to carefully consider the style of rollout you’ll choose andthe key use cases of your new tool/process.
There are two primary styles of rollout - big bang and phased. Big bang rollouts are ideal when timeis of the essence and change is urgent, while phased rollouts are more gradual and enable teams toadapt to the change more smoothly - we recommend a phased rollout for that reason.
Beyond the style of rollout, you must also ensure the change is aligned to your users’ needs. To dothis, identify the key use cases for the new tools/processes you will roll out. By scoping your rollout inthis way, you’ll increase the level of adoption and overall rollout success.

Phased rollout or big bang? Why?
What style of rollout are you planning, andwhy?

How have you managed the rollout of othertechnology/processes/ways of work etc. in thepast?

Is this consistent with how you’ve rolled out
other tools in the past? What worked, andwhat didn’t?

Identify 2-3 use cases for the tool, and why
the change will help make these use cases
easier to achieve. What teams will be makinga change?
What are the key use cases for this tool/
process? What departments/teams will bethe primary users?

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

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5. Training and support plan
Without adequate training and support, individuals may struggle to understand new tools/
processes, which can lead to resistance and low adoption. In this section, you’ll consider thetype of training your users will need and how it will be delivered. Will it be in-person, virtual, or a
combination of both? We also encourage you to consider the timing and frequency of training toensure that users have ample opportunity to learn and ask questions along the way.

In-person training sessions
Train the trainer sessions

What type of training do you want to offer?

Lunch and learns / office hours / drop-in
Q&A sessions
Online training (via Atlassian University)
Online training (custom built by yourorganization)
Other:

Are there specific trainings needed for
different departments?

What will users know, do, and feel as a resultof the training?

Who is responsible for training?

Will you need to create different trainings
for different departments/teams? Consider:admin training vs. end user training, developervs. business user training, tool specific training

Hint: think of all the things a customer needs
to know and be equipped to do in order to feel
confident about the change.

Who will be developing and/or running thetraining sessions? What resources do theyneed to be successful?

How will your team support this change?
Teams / Slack Channels
How will you support this change?

Helpdesk / Jira Service Management
PortalOther:

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

56. Communications plan
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful change management as it ensures thatstakeholders are informed about the change and understand how it will impact them - it helps tobuild support and buy-in for the change across the organization.

E-mailSlack / Teams
How will you communicate this change toimpacted teams / individuals?

Manager ‘phone tree’ (ask managers toreinforce the message shared via e-mail,Slack/Teams with their individual teams)
1:1 communications to highly impacted
individuals

How does the message need to change fordifferent departments / teams?

When will you communicate this change?

Add examples for why you might need specificcommunications for different departments vs.
one org-wide message

Hint: remember the power of repetition andearly notice

How will you use your executive sponsor toenroll others in the change?
Who will communicate this change?

Do you anticipate any resistance to thischange? How can you incorporate this into
your communications?

How will you communicate after the launch?

CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

How can you leverage department leads tocommunicate the change?

Change fatigue, organizational aversion
to change, etc - how might you anticipate
resistance and tackle it head on in yourcommunications?

How will you notify users of new features thatthey can use, additional training, opportunity
to become a Champion, etc?

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TIP: Communication should be frequent and delivered through various channels toincrease awareness and ensure that everyone has ample time to process how thechange will impact them, so they can plan accordingly. Your communications plan should
be tailored to your organization’s specific needs and should include targeted messaging
to different groups or departments as needed. Looking for a place to start? Check out
these modifiable email templates we’ve developed.

7. After the launch: monitoring usage and adoption
Congratulations - you’ve worked through this template and are ready to roll out your change. But,
what happens after your rollout? The work doesn’t stop there.
Change is not a one-time event, but rather an ongoing journey. By collecting and analyzing dataon how your organization is using the new tools/processes, you can identify areas that need
improvement and make data-driven decisions to keep your users engaged and motivated. Don’t
forget to look beyond the quantitative data and consider the experiences of your teams. We
recommend gathering feedback through surveys and other channels. This feedback will help you
understand how the change is impacting the organization at the team level so you can adjust andaccommodate.

How will you monitor usage and adoption
following the launch?

If adoption is lower than expected, what will
you do to improve adoption?

Consider using audit logs and sample surveys.

Will you offer additional training? Moretargeted communications to low adopters?
Push for additional executive sponsorship andenforcement?

What are the key metrics you will share? Whowill you share this with? How often will you
share?
How will you report on the success?

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