Change Management Training Courses & Certifications, Which Should you choose?

Over the weekend a potential customer seeking to ensure she was selecting the most relevant training for her and her team, asked me to comment on different change management trainingcourses & certifications. Below are my personal views, drawn from a mix of my knowledge and experience:

Firstly I think it’s important that my opinion is trusted – so here’s why you should take my opinion onboard.

• I have the qualification
• I have previously trained the course
• I have helped develop the materials upon which the course is based
• I have written the textbook which is the basis of the course
• I used to be global head of project and programme management, hiring and coaching many project and programme managers
• I have established and resourced numerous Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Offices
• I was a co-founder of the Agnostic Agile movement, which believes applying Agile thinking and approaches is more important than the Agile methodology you apply
• I have developed the ChangeabilityPro® AI driven platform filled with new techniques, online courses and master classes
• I co-chaired the Change Management Institute in the UK for 6 years
• I founded and co-chair the Change Capability Community
• I founded and co-chair the global Capability for Change survey
• I advise on numerous change and transformation programmes in the public, private and third sectors around the world
• I have worked in all continents, and over 30 countries, giving me a unique insight into the impact of national cultures on how we work

(I am sure there are more points of reference but this list is getting too long!)

Change Management Training Courses & Certifications

Below is a breakdown of the different change management training courses & certifications and who I think they are most well suited to

Managing Successful Programmes – highly structured approach to designing, scoping and planning programmes – lots of detail, lots of documents to memorise for the exams

P3O – structured approach for coordinating projects, programmes and the portfolio (hence p3!) – feels old fashioned, reporting is all based on escalating information upwards/receiving decisions downwards. It doesn’t align with empowered and cross functional team working.

MoP – Management of Portfolios – again, a structured approach, this time for managing multiple initiatives. Useful guidance but only likely to be relevant to you if you are in a portfolio management role.

AgilePM – 14 documents and 13 roles across 6 processes with 8 principles means there is a rigid rulebook to follow. Some useful techniques, especially prioritising and writing User Stories.

Agile Change Management – core element is creation of an Agile Change Roadmap which brings together project delivery of tangible changes with activities to deploy new ways of working to realise benefits. Lots of techniques for building your personal leadership ability.

Agile Change Coach – 43 practical techniques to nudge, motivate and persuade people to work differently. Simple 5 steps which you are encouraged to rename to align to the terms used in your own organisation.

Change Management Practitioner – lots of theories and models so gives you insight into the most commonly used approaches. Syllabus is disjointed, make sure you have a trainer who can knit the pieces together so they give you a clear picture of how to manage change.

SAFe – very specific terminology, naming conversations for documents and roles only used in an environment that has committed to SAFe as the chosen Agile methodology. Interest perspective on Agile, almost a programme management version for multiple Agile initiatives (hence the word scaled in the title!)

ADKAR from Prosci – 5 steps for managing change, very well known but showing its age, as it treats change as single, independent projects, doesn’t look at change as a situation formed of many initiatives, all vying for time and attention.

Neuroscience for change – newest certification, looks at change as an experience, rather than as a project to be managed. Gives practical ideas for how to create support and generate participation in change based on an understanding of how the brain reacts to change.

Before you select any training, think deeply about what you want to achieve

If you are still unsure about the different Change Management Training Courses & Certifications and you want to discuss what is best for your, contact me today.

If you would like to discover more about Understanding and Embracing Agile Change read my latest Whitepaper.

There are lots of peripheral benefits to training, including networking with others, baselining your experience in comparison to others, learning new skills and gaining new insights.

But…to keep things simple, ask yourself this “do I want the badge to prove the experience and ability I already have or do I want to be able to hit the ground running with solutions for my next project or role?” If you want the badge, select the one that aligns most closely to the skills you want to highlight to others. If you want the solutions, think about the situation you face, and what techniques will be the most use.