What will actually be different? The Change Impact Assessment
The question every change raises
When a change is announced, people ask one question first: what will be different for me? The answer shapes how they respond, and how well the change lands.
A Change Impact Assessment is how change professionals find that answer early, while there is still time to plan for it.
What a Change Impact Assessment does
A Change Impact Assessment helps the business understand how a proposed change will affect people. It looks at each role and how it may need to evolve, and at the tasks people may carry out differently once the change is in place.
It also brings the leadership team together around a shared view of the vision for the change and the benefits it should deliver.
Why it matters in practice
The insight from an impact assessment feeds into almost every part of a change initiative. It helps you:
- plan, design and prepare for the change, and shape the strategy and roadmap
- target communication and engagement to the people most affected
- spot where learning or capability building will support people through the change
Many practitioners see it as the tool that gets a project off to a good start, and it stays useful right to the end. Impact assessments are repeated through the change lifecycle as more detail comes to light. They also show where other initiatives are competing for the same people’s time and attention.
One tip from experienced practitioners: look beyond your own organisation. Your initiative may affect customers or suppliers too.
What members will find in the Member Hub
We’ve gathered our Change Impact Assessment resources in one place on the Member Hub. Members can explore:
- Change Impact Assessment: Back to Basics, with a live walkthrough of an impact assessment template
- Assessing Change Impact: CMBoK™ Chapter 5 Deep Dive
- Exploring Change Impac:, a case study that walks through a five-stage approach
- Practical tips: from experienced change professionals
- Insights from your peers: a member opinion piece, a forum discussion on the tools members use, and templates and guides they recommend
Access the resources as a member
The Member Hub is open to members of the Change Management Institute. Join to access the full collection of Change Impact Assessment recordings, articles, templates and expert-led webinars, and to connect with change professionals around the world.
Already a member? Explore the Change Impact Assessment resources on the Member Hub.
