Defining the scope of a change is one of the most foundational steps in change management planning. The scope of change determines the breadth and depth of the change management effort required: how many stakeholders must be engaged, how extensive the training programme needs to be, and how much resistance management is likely to be needed. Accurately scoping the change is therefore a prerequisite for proportionate and effective planning.
Definition and Distinction
The scope of change, in the change management context, refers to the totality of what will be different for people because of the project. It encompasses which functions, teams, or geographies are affected; what aspects of their work will change (processes, systems, structures, roles, skills, or behaviours); and to what degree those aspects will change. This is distinct from project scope (the total work to be completed to deliver the project's outputs), which is defined from a technical delivery perspective.
A project may have a narrow project scope (e.g., replacing a single software module) but a broad scope of change (e.g., affecting the daily workflows of thousands of employees across multiple countries). Change managers must develop their own independent assessment of change scope rather than relying solely on the project scope definition.
Why Scope of Change Matters
An underestimated scope of change is one of the most common causes of inadequate change management planning. If the full breadth of the change is not understood, stakeholder analysis will be incomplete, training needs will be underestimated, and communications will fail to reach all affected populations. Conversely, an overestimated scope may result in unnecessary investment in activities for groups whose work is minimally affected.
Understanding the scope of change also informs the selection of change management approach and methodology. A narrow, localised change may be effectively managed with a lightweight approach. A broad, complex change affecting multiple functions, geographies, and role types may require a full change management programme with dedicated resources.
Assessing and Documenting Scope of Change
Change managers should assess the scope of change by:
Conducting a structured change impact assessment,
Mapping which stakeholder groups are affected,
Mapping what aspects of their work are changing,
Estimate the magnitude of that change.
The result should be documented in sufficient detail to enable resource planning.
Example of a well-documented scope of change:
'The change affects approximately 1,200 employees across Finance, Procurement, and Supply Chain functions in three countries (Australia, United Kingdom, and South Africa). For Finance users, the change involves replacement of the existing accounts payable and receivable system, affecting all daily transaction processing workflows. For Procurement users, the change involves a new purchase order management interface. No impact is anticipated for Human Resources, Marketing, or Operations functions.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Adopting the project scope as the scope of change without independent analysis: Project managers define the scope in terms of deliverables. Change managers must translate technical deliverables into human impacts. These are different analyses requiring different methods.
Underestimating indirect impacts: Changes to a system used by Finance may also affect employees in other functions who receive reports from Finance or who submit requests to Finance. Indirect impacts are commonly overlooked in initial scope assessments.
Treating scope as static: Project scope changes are common. Any significant change to the project's technical scope should trigger a reassessment of the change scope to determine whether the population of affected stakeholders has changed.
Conflating change scope with change impact severity: A large scope does not necessarily mean a severe impact, and a small scope does not necessarily mean a minor one. Scope and impact magnitude should be assessed independently.
References
Prosci. (2023). Change Impact Assessment Tools and Techniques. https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-impact-assessment
Hiatt, J. M. (2006). ADKAR: A Model for Change. Prosci. https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/adkar-model
Anderson, L. A., & Anderson, D. (2001). The Change Leader's Roadmap. Pfeiffer. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Change+Leader%27s+Roadmap