6. Change management
Organisational and business change management is a critical enabler of successful digital transformation and Australian Government project delivery, ensuring that people, processes, and systems evolve and adapt in alignment with new ways of working. Effective change management supports the adoption of new technologies and service models by preparing stakeholders, managing expectations, and fostering a culture of adaptability. It bridges the gap between technical delivery and operational readiness, helping to embed change in a way that is sustainable, inclusive, and aligned with broader reform objectives.
The SRO plays a key role in championing the human and cultural dimensions of change, ensuring that change strategies are integrated into project planning from the outset, executive sponsorship is secured, change initiatives are aligned with organisational goals, and communication, training, and engagement activities are adequately resourced and prioritised. Stakeholders rely on SROs to guide them through uncertainty, foster confidence, and ensure the change journey is purposeful and inclusive. When change management is treated as a strategic lever rather than an afterthought, it can significantly enhance the likelihood of successful adoption and long-term impact.
Challenges often arise when change impacts are underestimated, or when communication is reactive rather than planned and targeted. Resistance to change, lack of clarity around new roles or processes, and insufficient support for end users can all undermine delivery outcomes, particularly in complex or multi-agency environments, where these challenges are magnified, especially when there is no dedicated change capability or when change activities are disconnected from delivery milestones. Embedding change management into delivery rhythms helps ensure that solutions are not only implemented but also accepted and embedded across the organisation.
Key lessons
Change integration
Change management was more effective when it was integrated into project or program planning from the start. Clear ownership, flexible funding and early coordinated stakeholder engagement supported delivery.
Real life learning
A multi-year, tranched transformation program was established and set up with defined delivery plans and funding from the start of the program. This included fixed change management funding and, while this provided certainty, it limited the ability to adapt to evolving schedules. This created gaps between change expectations and the reality of delayed technology releases, contributing to increased resistance to change. The experience highlighted the importance of flexible funding arrangements that allow for adjustments of operational program funding to stay aligned with delivery timelines as it evolves.
“If I think about the common rub-points that I’ve seen across all of the programs that I’ve run, we’re typically quite poor at change management.”
Practitioner perspective
Related actionable insights:
1 - Focus on user adoption | 2 - Design for accessibility | 3 - Plan cultural change | 4 - Engage stakeholders early | 5 - Share change ownership | 6 - Deliver change gradually | 7 - Build change leadership
Change leadership
Visible leadership and local change champions drove adoption. Senior executive sponsorship, operational managers and champion networks helped actively lead the change, reinforce buy-in and sustain implementation beyond go-live.
Related actionable insights:
4 - Engage stakeholders early | 5 - Share change ownership | 7 - Build change leadership
Change adoption
Early support for change adoption improved adoption outcomes. Assessing the change appetite and cultural impacts of the change and building business-as-usual transition plans in early delivery enabled change adoption.
Real life learning
A four-year program delivered through multiple tranches, progressively built their change capability and maturity over time. However, change sustainment emerged as a consistent challenge, with delivered projects lacking clear ownership for ongoing support, change activity and communications. This created uncertainty about which teams were responsible for sustaining change after delivery.
By contrast, projects with clearly defined sustainment ownership achieved stronger long-term adoption and ongoing engagement. Seeking to address adoption and sustainment issues, the project team shifted towards delivering with business teams, not just for them, requiring deeper engagement and clearer ownership from the outset.
More direct engagement methods, such as workshops, demonstrations and presentations, supported this shift. This highlights that long-term change adoption is stronger when business teams are actively involved in both delivery and sustainment from the start.
“Anytime you do a program that involves bringing in a huge number of external resources, the change management around that needs a lot of care.”
Practitioner perspective
Related actionable insights:
1 - Focus on user adoption | 2 - Design for accessibility | 3 - Plan cultural change | 4 - Engage stakeholders early | 5 - Share change ownership | 6 - Deliver change gradually | 7 - Build change leadership
Actionable insights
- Design for user adoption, not just system deployment.
A system only succeeds if people use it. Keep system knowledge in business areas beyond initial delivery to support long-term adoption, which may need to continue for several years. Prioritise usability, training and support alongside technical delivery. - Consider accessibility, usability and business process alignment at every stage of design.
If users struggle to adapt, they will revert to old ways of working and the benefits will not be realised. Subject matter experts and change champions can support change efforts and help build and sustain digital capability. - Recognise the cultural shift required and plan for it early.
Cultural change takes time. Assess likely delivery impacts early and support teams through the transition. Position adoption as part of business-as-usual, not as additional work. Bring stakeholders along on the journey through transparency and engagement.
Stakeholders need to understand not just what is changing, but why. Communicate clearly, consistently and with empathy. Involve users in design to build shared ownership, while demonstrating progress and inviting feedback. Trust is built when people feel heard and supported.“[It’s] not just dealing with the substantive change you need to make but also dealing with the relationship issues and the need to bring everyone in the organisation on the journey with you.”
Practitioner perspective- Make change management a shared responsibility.
Do not leave it to one team or phase. Build it into delivery streams, governance checkpoints and stakeholder engagement plans. Help delivery teams shift their mindset to see change and engagement as part of their role, not an afterthought. - Use incremental delivery to support behavioural change.
Delivering in stages helps users adapt gradually and build confidence in the new system. Use each release to reinforce new behaviours, gather feedback and improve support. This approach helps manage expectations and strengthens long-term adoption. - Secure senior executive sponsorship and strong change leadership in affected business areas.
This helps drive project success and embed change after delivery.