Change Management Project Manager | All You Need to Know | Pay Rates & More

Project Change Management Manager | What Does a Change Program Manager Do? How Much Do They Get Paid? Everything You Need to Know

Within any change management team will be a variety of positions, each handling a different part of the change management project plan.

A change management lead may be the person in charge of delegating duties and keeping everyone on task. A change management analyst will be responsible for looking at all the project metrics and tracking KPIs.

Another important position on the change team is the change management project manager. They’re in charge of the change management project plan, which is also known as the roadmap that the change project will follow.

Project Change Management

Change management and project management are often dependent upon one another. That’s why you’ll find certain projects need a change manager onboard.

And likewise, a change management project needs to have a change project manager, also known as a change program manager, to handle some of the heavy lifting when it comes to organizing all the project tasks.

In this article, we’ll go over the change management program manager position and discuss how change management and project management are connected. We’ll also go over average pay rates for anyone wanting to become a change management project manager.

What is the Difference Between a Change Manager and a Project Manager?

While many of the duties of a project manager and change manager are similar, there are some very distinct differences between the two.

Project Manager

A project manager heads up a project, which is defined as “a planned piece of work that has a specific purpose.” While managing a project, the project manager will organize tasks that take the project from start to finish into a project plan.

The project plan will be based upon the project timeline, budget, and end goals. The project manager ensures that all steps on the project plan are executed and that the project achieves its objective.

Change Manager

A change manager heads up an organizational transformation. This is a specific type of project which includes some type of change. The change can be in processes, tools, procedures, job duties, or something else.

A change manager will also need to take a change project from start to finish by putting together a detailed list of tasks into a change project plan. This will also be based upon the end goals of the change project, timeline, and budget.

A distinct difference is that the change manager considers the people that are impacted by the change. They are tasked with guiding them through the transition smoothly, addressing any resistance to the change, and enlisting leaders and change agents to help support the change.

Why is Change Management Important in Project Management?

Both project management and change management can depend upon each other. In the case of project management, a project may be causing some type of change within an organization.

For example, if there was a project to install a major software update, a company might not consider it a “change” project. But if the update included some major feature updates, it could require a change in workflow, and user training would be needed to acclimate users.

This is a case where having change management methodologies or a change manager onboard a project would help. Change management specifically addresses how to guide people through a change.

Why is Project Management Important in Change Management?

Project management is also important to change management. To develop a change management project plan, it helps to have a project change management professional.

This is someone with experience in the organizational planning that comes with project management experience. They may not be as experienced in the “people” side of change, but they’re invaluable when it comes to creating a change management project plan that the change team can follow.

A change program manager can do the heavy lifting on the change management project plan and help adjust it as the need arises. Because any successful change project needs to have a strategic change project roadmap, the change management project manager is an integral part of any change management project.

What Does a Change Management Project Manager Do?

The change management program manager will develop a change management project plan. This part of project change management is vital to ensuring everyone on the team knows what to do and when to do it.

One of the first steps taken by the change management project manager is to do a project assessment. This will help define the scope of the project and is the first building block of the change management project plan.

Next in the project change management process will be incorporating the change program objectives, timeline, budget, and other project parameters into a cohesive plan that includes the needed change management project deliverables.

Once they develop a change management project plan, the change management program manager will keep everyone on task and adjust the plan as needed according to circumstances that may arise.

Creating a strategic project change management plan is best handled by someone with project management experience. The importance of the project plan and having it followed makes the position of change management project manager an important one on the project change management team.

What is the Pay Rate for a Change Management Project Manager?

If you have project management experience and you’re interested in getting into change management as a change program manager, we’ve got some information on the type of pay rate you can expect.

According to current job listings for change management project manager positions on Glassdoor, the average pay rate ranges from $71,000 to $143,000 per year.

Read more: Change Management Career Path & Salary | All You Need to Know

Conclusion: Change Management Project Manager, Duties, Pay Rate & More

The change management project manager is a key position in any change management team. Besides being the one to develop a change management project plan, they also help to keep the team on task and take the lead when it comes to making plan adjustments.

Both project management and change management share similar responsibilities as far as taking a project’s goals, timeline, budget, and deliverables and laying them all out into a roadmap that others can follow.

The key difference is that project change management is about projects that transform an organization and change the daily workflow of employees, which is why change management focuses on guiding people through a change.

For those in project management wanting to branch out, becoming a change management project manager can be a good career move into a growing field.

Prosci:

• Should You Spend $4,400 for a Prosci Certificate? Is it Worth it?
• Prosci Change Management | Guide | All You Need to Know
• Review of Prosci’s Change Consultancy | What You Need to Know
• Prosci ADKAR Change Management Model | All You Need to Know

Certification/Training:

• Do You Really Need a Change Mgt Certification? Is it Worth it?
• Change Management Training | All You Need to Know | Employees & Leaders
• The Top 8 Best Change Management Certifications

Non-Prosci Change Models:

• McKinsey 7S Model Framework | 2020 | All You Need to Know
• John Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model | Guide | Pros & Cons
• Bridges’ Transition Model for Change | 2020 | All You Need You Know
• Kurt Lewin Change Model | Pros & Cons | All You Need to Know

Change Management Career / Jobs / Firms:

• Change Management Career Path & Salary | All You Need to Know
• Top 10 Best Change Management Consulting Firms for Consultants
• Finding the Best Change Management Jobs | All You Need to Know

Images: Microsoft 365 Clip Art Image(s) (Bing images licensed under the Creative Commons license system.)