APMG International Agile Change Agent

Introduction

Businesses today exist in a world of constant change, and the changes are increasingly more profound.  The speed of innovation and technology development leads to changes in business models, relationships, strategies, and financial implications. In order to survive, organizations must learn to manage the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of our environment (what we now know all too well as the “VUCA world”).

In this course, students will learn how to use an agile approach to manage organizational change. The course is designed to teach students how to build their resource capacity to effectively support any organizational change or transformation initiative.

The course will provide students with the know-how to use proven techniques that ensure the adoption of change and delivery of benefits to the organization. Get a sneak peek at some more course content in our Agile Change Agent: An Agile Approach to Change Management article.

Students have the option of taking the exam to receive the APMG International Agile Change Agent Certification at the end of this course.

Objectives

At the end of this course students will be able to:

• Understand the agile approach to leading and executing changes by understanding the impact on the people involved
• Generate a roadmap that includes all the processes, activities, and information needed to lead a change initiative in an agile way
• Apply techniques to identify and prioritize activities based on the value they bring to the business
• Create and promote an environment suitable for change
• Identify who needs to be involved for the change to be successful and understand how to interact with them through empathy and building trust
• Use checklists, questionnaires, and pre-defined models that can be adapted to different change initiatives
• Develop strategies to increase resilience and motivation, while managing and mitigating resistance
• Manage changes for both large-scale transformations and small-scale business change initiatives
• Generate change that is lightweight and flexible to start seeing the benefits quickly

Student Profile

This course is designed for anyone who is responsible for and/or is involved in organizational change processes and who have professional needs to implement changes in an agile and flexible manner. This includes professionals from Change Agents and organization leaders at all levels to people in Systems, Human Resources, or Transformation areas (such as agile transformation offices or project and process offices).

Prerequisites

Attendees must be participating or have participated in organizational change management. Preferably, they should have basic knowledge of general management (project, program, and change management) and have a basic knowledge of agile principles and values.

Course Materials

Each student will receive a copy of the course documentation prepared by APMG.

Methodology

Engaging and interactive course. Our instructors teach all course materials based on a methodology of Action – Reflection – Transfer; students learn new concepts through active participation, exercises, and real application practices.

Certification

Students will receive continuous evaluation throughout the course based on group and/or individual activities.

At the end of the course, students will have the option of taking the APMG International Agile Change Agent certification exam. Additionally, students will earn 14 credit hours for their attendance. Get the exam details.

Accreditation

A certificate of attendance will be issued to students who attend the course for at least 75% of the duration.

Course Outline

1. Introduction
   1. Understanding change management
   2. Understanding the agile approach to change management
2. Roadmap for Agile Change Management
   1. Definition and purpose
   2. Core elements of a roadmap
      1. Timeframe and how to set it
      2. Iterations and how to align them
      3. Outcomes expected of each iteration
      4. Process and activities of each iteration
3. Business Needs as an Engine for Change
   1. Identification of requirements and benefits: how to align them to changes
   2. Understanding the market and organizational contexts
   3. Change validation: Acceptance criteria for an effective roadmap
4. Building Relationships
   1. The importance of building good relationships
   2. Keys to self-knowledge and personal leadership
   3. How to develop emotional intelligence, analytical thinking, collaboration, and empathy
5. Creating an Effective Environment for Change
   1. Understanding the environment and how it relates to organizational culture
   2. Elements of an effective and sustainable environment
   3. The importance of intrinsic motivation and resilience for change