Change Management for Organization-wide Adoption of Project

Change Management for Organization-wide Adoption of Project

Project Overview Within the CDC-funded Public Health Information Solutions, Surveillance, and Systems (PHIS3) project, fragmented project coordination and decentralized document storage were limiting organizational efficiency and collaboration. Although the organization had an existing subscription to the Quire project management platform, its use was inconsistent across units, with limited organization-wide adoption. Some teams relied on alternative tools such as Trello or Excel trackers, while others operated without any formal project management system. Additionally, critical technical and administrative documents were stored on individual staff devices or in siloed shared drives managed by specific project teams. This decentralized approach restricted timely access to resources, reduced institutional knowledge sharing, and increased the risk of information loss. This assignment was undertaken to design and implement a structured change management process to optimize the organization-wide use of Quire for project management and to establish a standardized approach to document storage and access using Microsoft OneDrive. The overarching goal was to improve efficiency, coordination, collaboration, and information sharing across all projects and units under PHIS3.

The change strategy was grounded in Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model to guide the transition process and supported by the Diffusion of Innovations theory to understand adoption patterns, user behavior, and factors influencing the uptake of new systems.

Projects Benifits

Complete Result

The assignment successfully initiated an organization-wide change management process that addressed both technical and behavioral barriers to effective project and document management. A multidisciplinary change management team—comprising a Consultant, System Analysis Advisor, and Communications Specialist—was formed in September 2023 under the leadership of the Deputy Project Director. The team developed a structured change management plan outlining key activities, timelines, and roles, supported by periodic planning and review meetings. To assess baseline adoption and usage patterns of Quire and OneDrive, a staff survey was designed, pretested with eight staff members, and deployed across technical units. A total of 28 completed responses were received, providing insights into current usage levels, perceived barriers, and opportunities for improvement. The survey findings informed targeted change strategies, including communication, capacity-building, and system optimization efforts. By integrating leadership engagement, structured planning, and evidence-informed decision-making, the assignment laid the foundation for improved uptake and sustained use of Quire and OneDrive across the organization. The outputs positioned PHIS3 to strengthen project execution, institutional memory, and cross-unit collaboration, supporting more effective delivery of CDC-funded public health programs.