Roll out with robust change management practices

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Introducing a new Engineering Growth Framework (EGF) to your organization is more than just creating and implementing a framework—it's about effectively managing the change to ensure it seamlessly integrates into your organization's culture and workflows. Here’s how to roll out your EGF with a robust change management strategy that ensures its success and adoption.

Start Early

The good news here is that by following the previous steps you have already begun! Surprise! By involving the right stakeholders early and addressing concerns throughout the development phase, you've already laid the groundwork for effective change management. Your detailed preparations have likely turned potential detractors into supporters, who now understand the benefits and are ready to champion the framework.

Build a Roadmap for Launch

A defined roadmap can help others understand what is coming. When building a roadmap I like to start from the end and work backwards. Step one, is to set the official launch date. Ideally, align this with the end of a current performance cycle and mark the start of a new one. This timing helps integrate the framework smoothly into the existing performance evaluation schedule.

You roadmap map look something like this, with start and end dates of each phase:

1. Initial comms 
2. Run pilot 
3. Feedback and adjustments 
4. Training and Workshops
5. Launch

Pilot with a Small Team

Before going company-wide, it's beneficial to incubate the EGF with a small team. This pilot phase, while not essential, is crucial for testing the framework in a real-world setting. By observing the framework in action, you can pinpoint practical issues or areas that may not scale well across larger teams. 

Continuous feedback from the pilot team during this phase is invaluable as it provides insights into how the framework performs and highlights necessary adjustments. Based on this feedback, you can refine the EGF to ensure it meets the broader needs of your engineering teams, making it more robust and applicable when rolled out across the entire organization.

Communicate the Change

Effective communication is key to successful change management. To ensure that every team member understands the Engineering Growth Framework (EGF), its benefits, and the rollout plan, you should engage in several activities. 

Conduct informational meetings where you can explain the EGF's objectives, benefits, and the expected impact on individual and team performance. 

Keep the company informed about the progress through regular email updates, especially highlighting key milestones achieved during the pilot phase. 

Additionally, run workshops and Q&A sessions to facilitate interactive discussions where employees can learn more about the framework, ask questions, and express any concerns they might have. 

This ensures that the entire team is aligned and adequately prepared for the changes ahead, which will lead to greater adoption. 

Provide Support and Training

You have a clear vision and belief in your EGF, but others are only finding out about it for the first time. They will likely be concerned about what this will mean for their performance evaluations and even promotion pathways. You can take steps to alleviate their fears and help set them up for success. 

Create user guides for managers and engineers to help them understand how to use and benefit from the new framework, and how it fits into the performance cycle of the company. 

Run workshops to get them set up. You could talk through your user guides, and even get them to start their own assessment against the EGF. 

Create dedicated channels for ongoing support, such as a specific Slack channel, to assist with any queries or issues that arise post-implementation.

Monitor and Adjust

After the rollout, continuously monitor the framework's effectiveness and make adjustments as necessary. Collect feedback, assess the framework's impact on performance management and development, and tweak processes to better meet the needs of your teams.

By following these steps, you ensure that the rollout of your Engineering Growth Framework is not only strategic but also fosters a positive shift towards a more structured and equitable approach in managing engineering talent within your company.

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Keep an eye out each week as we publish all of the steps involved

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Part 1: Getting started with your EGF, and defining your measure of success

Part 2: Engage the right stakeholders

Part 3: Create a structure for your EGF

Part 4: Write the content collaboratively

Part 5: Roll out with robust change management practices 

BONUS: Enable data collection and feedback loops 

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