8-Step Change Leadership Framework for Project, Program, and Portfolio Success

by | May 28, 2025 | General, Leadership in Project Management

8-Step Change Leadership Framework Explained by Dharam Singh for Project, Program, and Portfolio Leaders

Driving change is never easy — but having a structured approach makes all the difference.

In my mentoring and consulting experience across 57+ countries, I’ve seen how organizations thrive when they follow a well-defined change framework.

Here’s a widely recognized and practical 8-Step Process for Leading Change that can support your transformation journey:

🔹 Step 1: Create urgency
Identify potential threats and opportunities that drive the need for change.

🔹 Step 2: Form a powerful coalition
Identify the change leaders. Change leaders are not necessarily based on hierarchy. The change leaders should be influential people from a variety of roles, expertise, social, and political importance.

🔹 Step 3: Create a vision for change
Identify the values that are central to the change. Then create a brief vision statement that summarizes the change. Next, identify a strategy to realize the vision.

🔹 Step 4: Communicate the vision
Communicate the vision throughout the change process. Apply the vision throughout all aspects of the organization. Senior management and the change coalition should consistently communicate the vision and demonstrate the urgency and benefits of the change.

🔹 Step 5: Remove obstacles
All change comes with obstacles. Sometimes the obstacles are outdated processes, sometimes they are based on the organizational structure, and sometimes they are people resistant to change. Regardless, all obstacles need to be addressed.

🔹 Step 6: Create short-term wins
Identify quick and easy wins to build momentum and support for the change.

🔹 Step 7: Build on the change
Once the short-term wins are complete, the organization needs to set goals for continued improvement.

🔹 Step 8: Anchor the changes in corporate culture
Ensure the change becomes ingrained into the culture: continue to communicate the vision, tell success stories, recognize people in the organization who embody and empower the change, and continue to support the change coalition.

At vCare Project Management, I work closely with professionals navigating change at project, program, and portfolio levels.

💬 How does your team ensure that change efforts are sustained long term?

Let’s discuss below.

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