Agility is perhaps one of the most essential qualities of successful modern companies. The ability to adapt to changing marketing conditions and customer needs is crucial to survival in today’s hyper-competitive environment. Organizations that are prepared to change when necessary can capture new opportunities, eliminate threats, and delight customers.

Change management software helps ensure that change does not become chaos. Adjustments to processes should be made thoughtfully, preferably using a structured improvement cycle like PDSA, or DMAIC. With change management software in place, innovation becomes deliberate, and the thinking behind each improvement is transparent. Here are six ways that change management software helps to promote sustained and purposeful innovation.

#1 – It Provides Timely and Actionable Feedback

Change management software becomes the standard platform for every employee to offer opportunities for improvement whenever they find them. Managers don’t have to call a meeting or solicit suggestions. People know exactly what to do when they have a change to consider. Once the idea is collected, the process of review and potential action automatically begins. Look for technology with built-in alerts and notifications, so that forward progress is maintained.

#2 – Users Get Personalized Experiences

Every role has different concerns and responsibilities. The best change management solutions make it easy for people to set up dashboards or filter information to find what is relevant to them. At the same time, putting their efforts into the broader context allows people to see how their work fits into the larger picture and gives them access to the lessons learned by other people and departments.

#3 – Operational Silos are Bridged

Change management software makes it easy for people to collaborate directly even with those in different departments or functions. Direct connections between people help reduce friction and cause improvement projects to move along more quickly. Subject matter experts can get involved when needed, and people can seek help from others who have experience with a particular type of change.

#4 – Goals are More Easily Aligned

People working hard to excel at their own job may lose sight of the overall objectives of the organization. The best results occur when each individual, team, and department has goals that are aligned with the overall strategy. Change management software enables leaders to cascade objectives down from the organizational level to individual contributors.

#5 – Management Becomes Visual

You may feel like your organization is engaged in continuous improvement, but can you see it? Quality change management technology provides dashboards and reports so that the health of improvement within the organization can be assessed in a glance. Kanban boards, huddle boards, X-matrices, and more can all be managed in the change management solution.

#6 - Impact is Measured

No one wants to change for the sake of changing, so it is important to measure the impact of each improvement to determine what has worked well and should potentially be replicated. It is also very motivating for people to see the benefits of their improvement efforts grow over time. The best solutions will capture both the long and short-term impact of improvement.

#7 – Success is Recognized

In addition to tracking the effects of each change, it is vital to recognize and reward those who are contributing to innovation. We recommend solutions that allow you to broadcast successful improvements in real-time. Not only is this a big boost to the people you are acknowledging, but it is also a great way to remind everyone else that innovation is prized within your organization.

Change is a team sport, so it makes sense to get all of the players on the same field and operating under the same rules. Your change management solution can bring your team together and focus their efforts on the improvements that are most essential to the breakthrough objectives of your organization.