I was chatting with a colleague today about the difference between change management and project management. Although the two work hand in hand, they are distinctly different, with distinctly different approaches, activities, outcomes, and measures of success. Here’s a side by side comparison.
| CHANGE MANAGEMENT | PROJECT MANAGEMENT | |
| DEFINITION | Change management involves the processes, tools, and techniques used to manage the people-side of change and achieve the required business outcomes. It’s about managing resistance, driving adoption, and ensuring that the new processes, systems, or ways of working are effectively implemented and used. | Project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at a specified time. It includes developing a project plan, which includes defining project goals and objectives, specifying tasks or how goals will be achieved, what resources are needed, and associating budgets and timelines for completion. |
| PURPOSE | The purpose of change management is to increase employee adoption and usage of a new system, process, or change in the business environment. It reduces resistance to the change, mitigating disruptions in productivity. | The purpose of project management is to ensure that the project is completed on time, within budget, and that it fulfills the specified objectives and requirements. It ensures all tasks are aligned and moving towards a common goal. |
| KEY COMPONENTS | Change management key components include change strategy, stakeholder analysis, communication, education, handling resistance, and reviewing the effectiveness of the change. | Key components of project management include project initiation, project planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and project closing. |
| TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES | Change management tools might include stakeholder analysis tools, communication planning tools, learning and development tools, and post-implementation review tools. Techniques could involve ADKAR model or Lewin’s change management model. | Project management tools often involve project scheduling tools like Gantt charts, project management software, risk management tools, and cost management tools. Techniques include Critical Path Method (CPM), Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Agile methodology, and Waterfall methodology. |
| ROLE | Change managers mainly deal with people. They identify who will be affected by the change, what their reactions might be, and how to ensure they are effectively supported through the transition. They will be concerned with cultural and behavioural aspects. | Project managers are concerned with executing the plan effectively. They coordinate with all involved parties, manage resources, track progress, manage risks and ensure the project stays on track and within its set parameters (scope, time, cost, quality). |
| OUTCOME | The outcome of successful change management is a workforce that is ready, willing, and able to work in new ways that support business objectives. | The outcome of successful project management is a completed project that is delivered on time, within budget, and meets the specified goals. |
