Book Review: Practical Change Management for IT Projects & Attracting IT Graduates to Your Business

Practical Change Management for IT Projects & Attracting IT Graduates to Your Business

Impackt Publishing

Writer: Emily Carr / An Coppens

Paperback: 170 / 54

Link to the books page:   
http://www.packtpub.com/practical-change-management-it-projects/book
http://www.packtpub.com/attracting-it-graduates-to-your-business/book

My rating: 5/5 

Learn to properly manage the changes that occur on an IT project, directly affects project success.

In this book the main roles involved in such projects, which is the best way and when they relate to each, and a set of templates that will be very useful to collect all the process are discussed.

In addition to the 20 templates offered us fill in any project to adequately adapt to changes in IT projects, presents an example that allows us to go through the book very enjoyable and secure.

This book is aimed primarily at IT Project Managers but also can provide guidance to HR staff.

* Chapter 1: What is Change Management?
In this chapter the concept of "Change Management" is introduced and briefly explains the pillars that we should try to have a successful change process. These concepts are discussed in later chapters.

Curiously, according to a study by IBM Global Business Services 2008 called Making Change Work, only 41% of IT projects fully meets its goals.

The main points to cover in each of the pillars of change are:

* Chapter 2: Establishing the Framework for Change

There are several frameworks to manage the changes: “See- Feel- Change” y “Rider, Elephant, Patch”. 

-      The Rider: This is the intellectual side of people and is responsible for maintaining their will power.

-      The Elephant: This is the emotional side of people.

-      The Path: This is the process people have to follow to make the change.

They remind us that although the rider might seem to be in charge and does in fact, hold the reins, the rider is very small and weak compared to the elephant they are trying to control. A person's intellectual side may provide the will power to adopt a change in the short term, but unless they are emotionally driven to make the change as well, they will eventually go back to the old way of doing things.

* Chapter 3: Building Sponsorship for the Change 
In this chapter we will see how to compose our project team. Normally include: Steering committee, executive sponsors, change agents and super-users.

The book explores the role of each in the project, the importance of each and the activities involved.

* Chapter 4: Managing your Stakeholders 
A stakeholder is a user or group that is impacted by the change. There are usually 3 categories: sponsors, end users and project team.

Once the members of these categories are identified, we must establish mechanisms of measurement. Normally, these are join to human feelings.

* Chapter 5: Communicating the Change 
Here the author teaches us to avoid the way we communicate in one direction.

Depending on the status of the project and involved members explains what is the best way and timing to do so.

* Chapter 6: Using Training to Prepare Your Stakeholders 
This chapter is essential because any change requires adaptation on staff and therefore this training.

There are different methods of training available.  We should have a plan to training time, resources and materials.

* Chapter 7: Ready, Set, Change 
This final chapter lists the templates that have completed and summing up the tips for each chapter.

To conclude this review I would like to recommend this great book. In my opinion, the most important is all the templates this book cover. You may find theory in some other books but in the real world you need to know how to deal a real situation on your company. Step by step you have the answers here.

All my greetings to the author, awesome job.

Besides, I propose a good way to mix this book. If we have the best people we will have the triumph. I propose another Impackt book, next one: Attracting IT Graduates to Your Business. This book is aimed at hiring managers and recruiters.

To sum up, the main chapters, are the next:
* Chapter 1: What Do IT Graduates Want?
We have a new group of workers. They have been using mobile phones, laptops, tablet devices, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn since their teens.A person who works as human resources need to know how to deal it and how to adapt the internal practices.

* Chapter 2: Be Clear on What Your Organization Has to Offer
The question is "what makes your organization unique?" You have to know better than nobody how is your company (formal/informal clothes, traditional vs innovative, fun vs serious...)., salary you will pay, benefits if you work here (restaurants, gyms, beauty salons...), training and so on.

* Chapter 3: Creativity Rules in Gaining Graduate Interest
Careers page like this one http://careers.microsoft.com
let us show the people that work in our company and the roles we are looking for. Social media like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter also are a good place to organize games or competition to attract candidates.

* Chapter 4: Getting to "You're Hired"
Telephone calls, skills testing, interviews..different stages we may manage and we must learn.