Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
A project can deliver the right system, process, policy, or structure and still fail to realize value if people do not adopt and use it. PMI states this plainly: unless project outputs are adopted and utilized by stakeholders, the project has not fully met its business objectives [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
This action is a focused change communication and engagement intervention. Its purpose is to help the project manager see change management not as “extra communication,” but as risk management, benefits realization, stakeholder readiness, and adoption enablement. Prosci defines change management as a structured framework for the people side of change that helps people adopt and use important changes in daily work [Prosci]. (prosci.com)
What this action is and when to use it
This action is a concise, evidence-informed conversation or working session between the change manager and project manager. It translates change management into project language: objectives, scope, risk, schedule, dependencies, readiness, adoption, and benefits.
Use it early, ideally during initiation or planning, when the project charter, roadmap, governance, and resource plan are still flexible. Use it again at major phase gates: solution design, build, testing, training, go-live readiness, and post-implementation stabilization. PMI emphasizes that organizational and user adoption risks should be integrated into the project plan, stakeholder plan, communications plan, risk plan, and sponsorship approach [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Before meeting the project manager, gather the project objectives, benefits case, impacted groups, change impact assessment, stakeholder map, project timeline, known resistance points, training needs, and current communications. Convert these into a one-page “adoption case” that shows who must work differently, what could prevent adoption, and what change activities are needed.
Include the project manager, change manager, sponsor or business owner where useful, product owner or business analyst, training lead, communications lead, and representatives of impacted managers. Gallup’s research highlights that manager conversations are the “last mile” of effective change communication because managers help employees personalize what the change means for them [Gallup, 2024]. (gallup.com)
The decisions needed are practical: what adoption means, which adoption risks belong in the risk register, what change activities belong in the project plan, which leaders must communicate what, when managers will be equipped, and how adoption will be measured.
Step-by-step facilitation guide
Start with the project manager’s goal. Open by linking change management to the project’s success measures. Say: “The project does not end at go-live; it succeeds when the intended users adopt the new way of working and the business benefit is realized.” This aligns with PMI’s adoption-and-utilization view of project value [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Translate the deliverable into behavior change. Ask: “Who must stop, start, or do something differently?” A system rollout may require managers to inspect new dashboards, employees to enter data differently, and leaders to reinforce new performance expectations.
Name adoption risks in project terms. Frame resistance, confusion, low manager readiness, poor training uptake, competing priorities, or lack of reinforcement as risks to schedule, quality, benefits, and operational stability. PMI recommends making people-related and adoption risks visible in the formal project risk process [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Explain the value of change management succinctly. Use evidence carefully. For example: “Prosci’s research reports that projects with excellent change management are substantially more likely to meet objectives, and it defines adoption outcomes through speed of adoption, ultimate utilization, and proficiency” [Prosci]. (prosci.com)
Align on the manager and sponsor roles. The project manager owns delivery integration; the change manager owns the people-side strategy and adoption plan; sponsors legitimize the change; people managers translate it locally. McKinsey’s influence model reinforces that behavior change is supported by understanding, role modeling, capability-building, and reinforcement [McKinsey, 2016]. (mckinsey.com.br)
Invite concerns and treat resistance as data. Ask the project manager, “Where do you think teams will struggle?” CIPD’s research argues that questions and concerns should not automatically be labeled resistance; they can be legitimate sensemaking that helps people engage with the change [CIPD, 2014]. (cipd.org)
Close with decisions and next actions. Confirm what will be added to the project plan, who will brief managers, what feedback channels will be used, and which adoption indicators will be reported at governance meetings.
Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
A company is implementing a new CRM. The project manager is focused on configuration, data migration, testing, and go-live. The change manager schedules a 45-minute adoption briefing. Instead of presenting a generic change model, the change manager shows that sales representatives must enter opportunities earlier, sales managers must coach from pipeline dashboards, and regional leaders must stop accepting offline spreadsheets.
Together, they add manager briefings before user acceptance testing, field feedback sessions during pilot, adoption risks to the project risk register, and post-go-live metrics: weekly active use, opportunity completeness, forecast accuracy, and manager coaching frequency. The conversation shifts change management from “communications support” to a delivery dependency.
Roles and responsibilities
Role | Responsibility |
Change manager | Prepare the adoption case, facilitate the conversation, define adoption risks, and propose change activities. |
Project manager | Integrate change work into scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, governance, and status reporting. |
Sponsor/business owner | Define success, reinforce why the change matters, and remove organizational barriers. |
Middle managers/team leaders | Translate the change into local meaning, answer questions, model expectations, and provide feedback. |
Project team | Design the solution with impacted users in mind and respond to readiness and adoption data. |
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not position change management as a separate workstream that competes with project delivery. PMI’s guidance supports integration rather than separation of project and change activities [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Avoid relying on one announcement. Gallup’s research shows that trust, communication, and manager conversations matter during disruptive change [Gallup, 2024]. (gallup.com)
Do not lead with theory. Start with the project manager’s risks, milestones, and success measures. Avoid dismissing concerns as negativity; CIPD’s work suggests that dialogue and voice help people make sense of change [CIPD, 2014]. (cipd.org)
Measures of success or adoption indicators
Early indicators include the project manager adding adoption risks to the risk register, change activities appearing in the integrated plan, managers attending briefings, and sponsors delivering agreed messages. Mid-change indicators include manager confidence, quality of questions, training attendance, readiness scores, and feedback themes. Post-implementation indicators include speed of adoption, utilization, proficiency, compliance, reduced workarounds, help-desk trends, and the business KPIs the project was meant to improve [Prosci]. (prosci.com)
Checklist for the change manager
I can explain the project’s value in adoption terms, not only delivery terms.
I have identified who must work differently and how.
I have translated people-side issues into project risks, dependencies, and decisions.
I have a concise adoption case for the project manager.
I know which sponsors, managers, and team leaders must be engaged.
I have proposed adoption indicators for governance reporting.
I have agreed next steps, owners, and timing with the project manager.
Optional reusable template: 30-minute project manager briefing agenda
Purpose: Align project delivery and change management so the change is adopted, used, and sustained.
Opening message: “This project succeeds when the impacted people use the new way of working well enough to produce the intended business outcome.”
Agenda:
Confirm project objectives and benefits.
Identify impacted groups and behavior changes.
Review adoption risks and resistance signals.
Agree change activities to add to the project plan.
Define sponsor, manager, project team, and change manager roles.
Select adoption indicators for status reporting.
Confirm next actions and governance updates.
References
Prosci. “Change Management Success.” No publication date stated. https://www.prosci.com/change-management-success
Project Management Institute. “One Solution for Project Success: Project and Change Management in the PMBOK® Guide.” September 2014. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/one-solution-for-project-success-11130
Association of Change Management Professionals. “Change Management.” No publication date stated. https://www.acmpglobal.org/page/change_management/Change-Management.htm
Association of Change Management Professionals. “The Standard for Change Management©.” Standard originally released September 2014; second edition announced August 26, 2025. https://www.acmpglobal.org/general/custom.asp?page=the_standard
Gallup. “Disruptive Change Is Hitting Leaders and Managers Hardest.” May 23, 2024. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/645152/disruptive-change-hitting-leaders-managers-hardest.aspx
McKinsey & Company. “The four building blocks of change.” April 11, 2016. https://www.mckinsey.com.br/en/our-insights/the-four-building-blocks--of-change
CIPD. “Landing transformational change.” September 2014. https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2014-landing-transformational-change_2014_tcm18-16180.pdf