Direction · Success Definition

How to define change success before delivery begins, and why most organisations skip this

Most change programs define success in terms of what will be delivered: a system goes live, a restructure completes, training is rolled out. These are project deliverables. They are not change outcomes. A meaningful success definition answers a different question: what will be true about this organisation, its people, and its performance that is not true today?

The Four Layers of Success Definition

A complete success definition has four layers. Each one builds on the last. Most organisations stop at the first or skip straight to the third. Click any layer to explore it in depth.

Is Your Success Definition Complete?

Use this checklist before delivery begins. If you cannot tick most of these, your success definition needs more work.

We have defined success in terms of outcomes, not activities or deliverablesWe can describe the specific behaviours that will be different in the future stateWe have both leading and lagging indicators to track progressWe have measured the baseline before the change beginsWe have planned for waves of adoption with different expectations at each stageWe have review points at 30, 90, and 180 days, not just at project closeSuccess criteria are owned by the business, not just the program teamThe people affected by the change can describe what success looks like in their own words

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This topic is part of Direction, the first pillar of the TCA Change Model.

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