Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions will help you to decide if we are the right fit for you and will save your time and money in performing your due diligence.

Q.  Can you clarify the numerous terms used with change management?

A. Organisational Change Management is managing an organisation through a change, restoring organisational equilibrium and ensuring that the intended benefits of the change are realized.  Typical organisational changes include improving the standards of financial, operational, human resource, marketing and information technology management that contribute to organisational services and long-term sustainability. 

Organisational Change Management focuses on delivering reform or business improvement by managing the stakeholders to make and sustain the transition to the new way of doing business.  Change is enabled by the business leaders, communications, training and human resource management.  Organisational Change Management effectively partners programs or project objectives to deliver “the people and business side of change” of any size and scope.

Organisational change management is sometimes referred to as change management, which can cause confusion in project management circles because of several other interpretations:  In projects, change management can refer to:

• the human intervention process that facilitates a stakeholder to accept the business change
   
• the formal method of managing requests for change that may affect the scope of the project
   
• in projects with a systems component, 'change management' refers to specialised procedures for managing technical change
   
• in reengineering projects, 'change management' can imply replacement of the current managers.

Q.  Can RIMER be used to manage programs of change?

A. Yes, in fact RIMER ensures collaboration and coordination with other projects throughout the organisation.  RIMER ensures that all projects are aligned across the organisation and minimizes stakeholder disruption.    

Q. Why is change management so important?

A. Change Management is to a strategy, program, project or initiative what a drum is to music.  It helps the organisation keep time with the pace of global change.  Organisations that cannot or will not change become redundant in time.  Conversely, organisations that have this capability are much more likely to be sustainable, long-term success stories.  Research shows that Projects and Programs that do not include change management have suffered huge financial and other losses and been unsuccessful.

Q.  How does change management fit into project management?

A. The RIMER Change Management Methodology is the result of working with program directors and project managers using the most popular project management methodologies, including Prince2, MSP and PMBOK.  RIMER fits project stages precisely.   The methodology is a robust and rigorous approach, delivered through tools and templates that deliver change at each stage of the project.

Q.   We don’t have a lot of time to learn a whole new discipline like change management.  How long will it take us to be able to manage a change ourselves?

A.  You will become competent at managing change as we proceed through each stage.  It’s a learn-and-do approach, so very little down-time is required.  The objective is for you to deliver the change and become competent in the process. As with any new skill, you will improve with practice.  You can continue your relationship with us to whatever degree is suitable for you to become capable and confident.

Q.  We want someone to manage the change for us, but our human resources people refuse to do it for us.  So where do we find such a person?

A. Many HR people tell us that they are expected to have these capabilities just because they know about human resources.  Change Management however is a specialist discipline and goes far beyond managing people.  Like project management, change management needs to be learnt and experienced as such.  Further, like most HR people, we believe that managers are the best ones to lead their people through change.  Leadership goes with the territory of being a manager and to outsource that role is a bit like the military outsourcing the role of leading their troops through a war, or outsourcing the parenting of one’s children.  People rely on their leaders to show them the way, whether it’s capturing a new opportunity or trying to survive a recession.   That being said however, you may still need someone to coordinate your project change, even for seemingly small projects, since change and icebergs have a lot in common.  Here too, no one is better placed to coordinate change for you than someone from inside your organisation who knows the organisation well.  We provide products and services to enable that person to carry out that role and when the project is completed, that person becomes your resident specialist for future projects.

Q.  What do your products and services do?

A. We provide greater certainty that making changes in organisations (or the community) will be successful.   We do that by supporting those who are facilitating those changes with the RIMER Change Management Toolkit, and a range of coaching and mentoring services that are delivered through a variety of mediums, including online, teleconference and face-to-face memberships, coaching and mentoring programs, books and learning materials.  In short, our focus is to support our clients to lead and manage their own responsible areas.

Q.  What benefits do your products and services provide?

A.   There are many, so we’ll dot point them:

• Our products and services greatly enhance the project’s likelihood of coming in on-time and on-budget. and deliver the project / program's benefits, including those that accrue after the project has closed down.
   
• In a typical project, we save our organisational clients many, many thousands of dollars just by internalising change capability into the business.    
   
• There is also a huge human saving.  Working with us avoids the many difficulties, disappointments and distresses of managing change, both on the project team side and on the business side.  Again, such angst is a financial black hole for the organisation, and we navigate everyone past such holes, thereby saving both people and money.
   
• We embed some valuable philosophies that enable the organisation to work together as one, thereby becoming much stronger and tougher, yet more resilient and flexible.
   
• We don’t deliver and take our intellectual capital with us when we go.  We leave it with you.  In time, this enhances the total asset value of your organisation as being a change-capable establishment that knows how to take advantage of opportunities as well as ride out the difficult challenges that are an inevitable part of growth.   Organisations that manage change well are those that can survive anything and can position themselves for future good times.
   
• Contract Project Managers with change management skills can charge up to 30% more for their contract services.
   
• Organisational Change Management is a perfect career progression toward senior management, so those with these skills enjoy a significant advantage.

Q.  What’s so special about Uniforté's change management tools?

A.  This is a brief list:

• Our products are state-of-the-art tools based on a rigorous methodology, and are streamlined to maximise their efficiency in delivering change.
   
• The process is easy to learn and apply.
   
• The starting point is easy to assess and gain agreement upon.
   
• The checklists provide a percentage completion that facilitates discussion, planning and reporting.
   
• The Change Leadership component provides a range of leadership approaches to apply in given circumstances.
   
• We focus on delivering benefits, not just implementation.
   
• Our tools and services are very competitively priced, especially considering the international exchange rates.  See our currency converter to assess the true cost of your investment, and our superior product is global best practice.
   
• A range of associated learning and development tools, like managing the change and project team relationships, and benefits management best practice information are included free of cost.

Q.  What’s so special about Uniforté's services?

A. Our services are delivered by qualified Executive Coaches with extensive experience in change management, executive coaching, training, human resource management, communications, counselling, leadership development, project management, business improvement and organisational reform, as well as Master of Business Administration qualifications.

Q. Why would anyone want to have a Uniforté Membership?

A. Our services are 100% customer focused which translates into services that are totally tailored to our customer’s needs at both a price and learning-need level.  When we mean customer focused, we mean you come first every time.  

Q. What guarantees do you provide?

A. We offer a full money back guarantee on all our products and services. We survey our clients to identifiy their level of satisfaction with their program throughout their relationship with us.