Course: The Art of Timing in Change Implementation

**Timing is Everything: A practical course plan for leaders who want change to stick**

**Attendee & Scoping**
- Who for?: Emerging leaders and front line managers in medium scale businesses (those that will be asked to own and drive change programs locally).
- Level: Intermediate , You have had experience managing others, and responsibility for delivering at least one organisational change within 12 to 18 months.

**Duration and Format**
Format: 6 week blended program

Delivery:
- Three live virtual kick off workshops of two hours each, covering the buzz and the bees
- Two half day face to face practical labs, in Sydney or Melbourne (and hybrid streaming to other cities)
- Weekly self paced micro learning and reflective tasks hosted on an LMS on average 20 to 30 minutes a week

Intensity: Light week by week workload approximately 2 to 3 hours per week; two high intensity in person labs for roleplays and simulations.

**Delivery Mode & Locations**
- Hybrid: face to face practical labs (Sydney hub) + virtual live sessions and fully online modules for interstate delivery (Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Geelong, Parramatta and regional hubs as requested).
- Facilitator teams: At least one lead facilitator + change practitioner co coach supporting small group work and manager check ins.

**Price & Practicality Constraints**
- Floor price: Cost per head $495 inc GST (minimum 12 pax, discount for groups of 25+)
- Maximum class size: 30 blended style (to ensure quality interaction)
- Delivery Channels: Zoom for live virtual sessions, SCORM compliant LMS for micro learning and in room for labs (projector, flipcharts, breakout spaces)
- Logistics: travel budget to rotate essential practical lab city once a quarter followed by remaining theory virtually; participant workbook hardcopy locally provisioned/digital via LMS.

**Learning Outcomes (behavioural & measurable)**

At the end of the programme participants will:

1. Diagnose readiness for change within a particular organisational context, via the use of 3 or more externalised assessment instruments with validation studies available, to create a one page readiness profile concerning an actual workplace change (evidenced by submission and facilitator rubric).

2. Develop a timeline driven change plan that coordinates internal preparedness with external triggers and present a 90 day roll out plan (assessed by submission of the plan itself and presentation roleplay).

3. Run and assess a pilot with basic metrics (engagement, error rate, adoption rate) and iterate on data (assessed through pilot report and post pilot learning log).

4. Use communications to reduce resistance , shown by a stakeholder engagement map and comms calendar tied to feedback checkpoints (scored through artefact review).

5. Coach a direct report through a change related challenge using structured coaching conversation and manager feedback (assessed by manager observation checklist).

**Assessment & Measurement**
- Pre course diagnostic: 10 minute readiness survey (baseline)
- Formative assessment: weekly reflections; small group facilitator feedback
- Summative assessment: submission of a Change Timing Playbook (5 pages + 3 artefacts) and 10 minute live presentation to cohort panel
- Manager observation: managers complete a checklist before/6 weeks after the program to assess behaviour change (frequency of structured check ins, etc.)
- Evaluation: pre/post surveys (Net Promoter Style + 6 competency items); followed by 90 day post course survey capturing project outcomes *ROI metrics suggested time to adoption; pilot success rate; engagement score delta RECOMMENDED ARE SIMPLE DASHBOARDS.

**Programme Structure (week by week with modules and activities)**

**Week 0 , Onboarding (asynchronous)**
- Activity: pre workshop readiness survey; brief scenario video; participants upload one change they are responsible for
- Output: baseline readiness profile and cohort profiling for facilitators

**Week 1 , Foundations: Why Timing Matters (virtual live, 2 hours)**
- Core concepts: timing vs tempo; psychological readiness; external triggers (market, regulation, tech)
- Activity: small group diagnosis of anonymised case studies; quick poll on "Big bangs rarely win" and "Leadership alignment matters more than initial employee buy in" , debate
- Deliverable: one page Timing Hypothesis for each participant's change

**Week 2 , Assessment Tools & Readiness Mapping (micro learning + live clinic)**
- Tools introduced: Change Readiness Survey template; stakeholder influence grid; capacity vs. appetite matrix; risk heatmap
- Activity: completing readiness survey with feedback from a peer/mentor to guide you through it; refining stakeholder maps in the micro clinic
- Deliverable: completed readiness profile submitted for facilitator feedback

**Week 3 , Strategy: Picking the winning tempo (virtual live, 2 hours)**
- Phased vs big bang rollouts; windows of opportunity; synchronising with Business cycles (quarterly reporting, annual leave patterns, project peaks)
- Facilitated scenario planning as participants pick tempo for their change and present rationale
- Draft 90 day rollout plan

**Week 4 , Pilots, Experiments and Minimum Viable Change (face to face practical lab, half day)**
- Focus: designing practical pilots; metrics that matter (adoption, error reduction, customer impact); quick iteration loops
- Activity: run a micro pilot simulation in small teams; measure, tweak, re run
- Deliverable: pilot plan with success criteria

**Week 5 , Communication, feedback loops & listening (self paced + virtual clinic)**
- Core skills: scripting tough conversations; using listening stations; triage for feedback; comms cadence and listening cadence
- Activity: roleplay stakeholder conversations with peer coaching; create a comms calendar at your checkpoint for feedback
- Deliverable: stakeholder map engagement + comms calendar

**Week 6 , Embedding & Measuring Long Term Adoption (face to face practical lab, half day)**
- Case studies: Embedding behaviours, leader routines, coachable moments
- Discussion: Sustaining momentum
- Change Timing Playbook presentations live
- Deliverables assessed: peer critique scored against adaptation portion of the Master Planning checklist
- Handing in Final Playbook and 90 day monitoring plan (and manager observation check list submittal)

**Module Information & Learning Activities**

**Module 1: The Science and Art of Timing , Why timing is not lucky**
It's human nature to see what went last time and repeat.
- Learning activity: "Timing Lenses" exercise , Participants map 6 organisational rhythms (Financial, HR, Operational, Customer, Supplier, Cultural) and identify alignment windows
- Quick win: Produce a one line "go/no go" rule for your change (e.g., "Do not launch major process changes during annual performance cycles")

**Module 2: Readiness & Risk , The Diagnostic Toolkit**
- Tools and templates provided
- Activity: facilitated scoring, heatmap creation, group critique
- Real takeaway: one actionable gap list prioritised by impact and ease of fix

**Module 3: Pilots and Experiments**
- Philosophy: pilot to learn, not deepen the problem
- Simulation: run a 30 minute pilot of a comms approach, collect three feedback points, refine
- Deliverable: pilot report with three iterations and one decision point

**Module 4: Communication & Listening Systems**
- Model assessed: "Tell. Listen. Act." , rhythmic disciplined messages and feedback
- Activity: scripted manager conversations; use of "two question" listening technique
- Artefact: 8 week comms calendar with check points tied to metrics

**Module 5: Leadership Alignment & Sponsor Behaviour**
- Focus: visible sponsorship vs hidden doctrine
- Activity: sponsor roleplay and rapid coaching
- Opinionated tip: get leadership to visibly agree on timing , public alignment trumps private consensus

**Module 6: Embedding & Momentum**
- Tools: leader routines, performance scorecards, manager coaching prompts
- Activity: design a sustainment ritual (weekly sync, leader walk rounds, adoption huddles)
- Deliverable: sustainment plan with checkpoints and owner

**Facilitator Notes & Best Practices**
- Be wary of cognitive load. Three changes at once? It's chaos. Set the right stage.
- Encourage brutal prioritisation. Not every change is strategic. Some are tactical , treat them differently.
- Use live data. The above even tells you this. (Even crude ones such as adoption rate, helpdesk tickets) If not , be willing to pause. Yes, pause. Pull the handbrake and reconfigure. That's not failure , that's just smart timing.
- Bias disclosure: we are inclined to like phased rollouts; we have seen them win , often. Some will say big bangs spark energy; well sure, but the math rarely supports it.

**Materials and Resources Provided to Participants**
- Participant workbook (digital + print versions), readiness survey templates, stakeholder map & pilot plan, comms calendar & leader/manager checklist
- Micro modules in LMS with reflective journals
- Facilitator slides and case study bank (genericised examples from retail, healthcare, financial services)
- Sample measurement dashboard (Excel) to track adoption metrics

**Case Studies & Applied Learning**
- Genericised cases from retail rollouts, adoption of digital tools within finance teams, and changes to operational processes in logistics
- Each case includes timeline, mistakes made and a decision point at which timing could have been reversed but wasn't
- The nice view: copying what high performing retailers do (think 'rapid small pilots across stores') is clever. Others disagree; they believe central pilots are plenty. Try both; see what works.

**Two Opinions That Some Readers May Argue With**

1. "Leadership alignment is more important than immediate employee buy in early on." Controversial. I mean it. Timing doesn't work if leaders are publicly at odds. Get leaders on the same page, and out in public.

2. "Pause decisions are under valued. To re diagnose is a sign of strength in leadership, not of weakness." Many interpret delays as fear. I disagree. Smart delays save reputations.

**Common Pitfalls & How the Course Corrects for Them**
- Pitfall: starting at a time of organisational turbulence (like annual reporting). Fix: rhythm mapping and go/no go rules
- Pitfall: counting vanity metrics instead of adoption. Fix: instruct simple metric hierarchy (signal, noise, action)
- Pitfall: not recognising middle managers' workload. Fix: role clarity formats and manager coaching scripts

**Evaluation & Follow Up Support**
- 90 day coaching clinics (opt in subscription) for cohort alumni
- Quarterly peer of peer labs to exchange timing windows and lessons learnt across industries
- Suggested 6 month pulse survey template for tracking longer term embedding

**Customisation Options**
- Senior execs: condense to 2 x half day workshops along with strategic scenario planning and sponsor alignment labs
- Front line teams: extend practical labs and drop heavy tool theory , come in on "what to do tomorrow" actions
- HR/OD functions: add further facilitator training to enable cascade of the programme internally

**Logistics & Budget**
- Venue needs for face to face labs: breakout rooms, dependable streaming, whiteboard space
- Minimum facilitator ratio of 1:12. For cohorts over 20 put in a co coach
- Low tech: LMS, Zoom, basic survey tool (e.g., SurveyMonkey or equivalent)
- Risk buffer: budget approximately 15% contingency for travel or equipment replacement

**What Employers Will Achieve**
- More clarity as decision points get closer, and fewer catastrophic "we launched at early/late" war stories
- Faster time to adoption on pilots (here, we're going for measurable progress in the first 90 days)
- Higher quality manager coaching: more structured check ins reported by direct reports
- Greater ability to spot windows of opportunity and noisy seasons that come up without warning

**Why This Works**

The difference , timing (the strategy but also more human). Timing is where your well thought out strategy meets the actual people. You can have great design , but when you land in a burnt out team during a migration from one system to another there's nothing that actually sticks. This programme blends tools with hands on experience. Not theory to sit on a shelf and gather dust , We Optimise: Small, Testable Experiments. We use small testable experiments (or pilots) to confirm our timing decisions before we scale it. It reduces risk. Big fan.

One final note (short) , if you want change to stick, treat timing as a skill , not luck. Establish the rhythms, try the small things out and get leaders aligned. Simple. Not easy.

**Sources & Notes**
- Prosci. (2020). Best Practices in Change Management, 11th Ed. Prosci Research. (Prosci's research always indicates that organisations with good ADKAR are, in general, much more likely to meet or exceed project objectives. Use this as a benchmark for creating measurement frameworks)