The Changemaking Checklists: A Toolkit for Planning, Leading, and Sustaining Change

The Changemaking Checklists is a toolkit for planning, leading, and sustaining change. The 58 lists, tools, and templates in this book are designed to guide planning and action. They help ensure that key steps are taken, and flag important issues that should be recognized and addressed. A companion volume to the author's earlier book Changemaking, the new work provides a comprehensive set of tools that complement and extend those in the first. These materials are organized in sections that correspond to the author’s framework for successful management of change: clarity, measurement, engagement, resources, alignment, leadership, and communication. A checklist itself isn’t a plan or a strategy; it doesn’t assure success. But it can play a key role in educating about opportunities, tactics, and pitfalls; assisting those involved in change to assess progress; and providing starting-points for development of plans and tools for implementation and assessment. Of course, one size doesn’t fit all: the materials should be adapted as needed to make them fully relevant to the culture and structure of your organization. Brief case histories illustrate the role of the core factors in managing change. Additional chapters provide guidance and resources on the use of collaboration technology and social media; and on conducting effective meetings—whether face-to-face or technology-enabled. The focus throughout is on tactics and execution, with the aim of providing templates and models that can be adapted to a variety of situations. The Changemaking Checklists (2015) is described by Kirkus Reviews as "[a] coherent, concise look at the elements that go into new business initiatives . . .[and a] worthwhile addition to a manager’s bookshelf." Jim Shaffer, Leader of The Jim Shaffer Group, described it as "[an] outstanding compilation that fits beautifully in the lean standard work and checklist mindsets." Brian Grant, Chairman of MCN, noted that the book offers " . . . indispensable ideas, tools, and guidance on the human side of change – including what NOT to do.”