Change Preparation for the New (Fiscal) Year
Written by: Ryan Simmons
Preparing the Right Way
As the new fiscal year begins, it brings fresh challenges to tackle the changes happening within your agency or organization. With budgets being approved or adjusted, this is an ideal time to reset and reassess what can realistically be achieved. As a consultant, my role is to help deliver what’s possible. So, as you navigate your new budget, let’s explore some low or no-cost action items that can support your organization through this period of change.
This list was created with the understanding that you may have competing priorities and may not have the necessary funds available yet. During this busy time for budget and finance offices, I’ve prioritized simple, cost-effective strategies that will help you deliver on your goals, on-time and on-budget.
1. Revisit Your Change Impact Assessment
- Review results and reassess risks.
- Proactively plan for challenges and ensure that both financial and personnel resources are aligned with your goals.
2. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
- Reconnect with all stakeholders.
- Revisit and possibly update your communications plan—consider the cadence, messaging, recipients, senders, and methods.
- Transparent communication helps set a positive tone for change.
3. Leadership and Sponsor Alignment
- Engage additional leadership and sponsors who may not yet be involved with your stakeholder group.
- Strong leadership is critical for driving change from the top down.
- Their support will foster advocacy and buy-in, helping to mitigate resistance.
4. Change Readiness Assessment
- Conduct a pulse assessment to update your Change Readiness data.
- Gain real-time insights into areas where additional support may be needed.
5. Training and Development
- Use the pulse survey to identify new training needs.
- Reprioritize training and development efforts to address current gaps.
- Addressing these needs can boost morale and motivate staff to embrace change.
At the heart of these action items are communication and re-engagement with your people. In my experience managing change projects, I’ve found that clear, consistent communication is key to building the trust needed to overcome natural resistance. The relationships you strengthen now will pay off when the changes become more tangible for both leadership and staff. Starting the fiscal year by focusing on relationship-building sets a strong foundation for guiding others through their unique stages of the change process.
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