Charlie looked across his desk at Kelvin, who was absorbed in the sheaf of handwritten notes from the meeting. Charlie had asked Kelvin to come his office to discuss the change control meeting that had occurred earlier that day. “So what do you think?” he asked. “I think I was blindsided by a bus!” Kelvin replied. “I thought I had considered all the possible effects of the change in my project plan. I tried to explain this, but everyone acted as if I had threatened their jobs.” “In a way you did,” Charlie stated. “Some people believe that change is the enemy.” “But these changes are important.” “I agree,” Charlie said. “But successful change usually occurs in small steps. What’s your top priority?” “All the items on this list are top priorities,” Kelvin said. “I haven’t even gotten to the second tier.” “So what should you do to accomplish these top priorities?” Charlie asked. “I guess I should reprioritize within my top tier, but what then?” “The next step is to build support before the meeting, not during it.” Charlie smiled. “Never go into a meeting where you haven’t done your homework, especially when other people in the meeting can reduce your chance of success.”

Questions:

1. What project management tasks should Kelvin perform before his next meeting?

2. What change management tasks should Kelvin perform before his next meeting, and how do these tasks fit within the project management process?

3. Had you been in Kelvin’s place, what would you have done differently to prepare for this meeting?