{"id":71071,"date":"2024-07-09T11:00:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?post_type=templates&p=71071"},"modified":"2026-04-28T16:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:01:29","slug":"change-management-plan-template","status":"publish","type":"templates","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/change-management-plan-template","title":{"rendered":"Change Management Plan Template"},"content":{"rendered":"

Change management is a process that can transition teams, projects and organizations from the current state to the future state. A change management plan does this by outlining the steps, processes and activities that manage that change effectively to ensure the change is implemented properly with minimal disruptions. Download this free change management plan template for Word to capture the strategy for communicating that change, identifying stakeholders, managing resistance and measuring success.<\/p>\n

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Free change management plan template for Word<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why You Need a Change Management Plan Template<\/h2>\n

A change management plan serves many purposes. At the top level, it helps ensure that the changes implemented are done smoothly and without issue. These changes often help organizations grow, save money and more. At the project level, they help deliver that project successfully.<\/p>\n

Another reason to use a change management plan template is that it prepares employees for the changes and ensures they\u2019re on the same page: one tenet of a change management plan is that it improves communication, which helps get buy-in for all those impacted by the change.<\/p>\n

A change management plan template also reduces disruptions that can negatively impact the organization or project. One such disruption can be resistance to change. The change management plan can help identify those causes of resistance and provide tools to overcome them, including training.<\/p>\n

In terms of practicality, the change management plan defines dependencies, provides a timeline for the transition and optimizes resources. This reduces the implementation time, identifies stakeholders and prioritizes changes. All of this is crucial to have a successful transition.<\/p>\n

Once the change management plan template has been filled out, then project management software will help execute that plan efficiently. ProjectManager<\/a> is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts to plan, manage and track your change management plan in real time. Managers can link all four types of task dependencies to avoid costly delays, filter for the critical path to identify essential tasks and set a baseline to track planned costs and time against actual cost and time to stay on schedule and keep to the project budget. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.<\/p>\n

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ProjectManager\u2019s Gantt charts help plan, manage and track change management plans. Learn more<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When to Use a Change Management Plan Template<\/h2>\n

A change management plan template is often used when a change will impact an organization, project or individual\u2019s job and a strategic approach is required for submitting and assessing change requests for a new project.<\/p>\n

The change management process<\/a> should begin as soon as possible by identifying potential changes that could occur in the future. However, others suggest it isn’t necessary to start a change management plan until the change has occurred.<\/p>\n

Either way sooner is better than later. The longer a change is allowed to impact the organization, project or person, the less control managers have. That\u2019s why being prepared, if one can be, is ideal. The faster an organization can respond to change, the more likely it can transition without negative impacts.<\/p>\n

Who Should Use This Free Change Management Plan Template?<\/h2>\n

Everyone impacted by the change requires some involvement in the change management plan<\/a>. In a smaller organization, one person might be tasked with the change management responsibilities. This can also be a team leader, developer or IT administrator.<\/p>\n

In larger organizations, there can be specific positions for change management, such as a change management manager or coordinator. Sometimes that role is carried out by the project manager<\/a>. Regardless, one will create the change management plan and oversee its implementation.<\/p>\n

There are often change authorities or approvers who are responsible for deciding whether a change can happen. This is usually done by one person, who is a senior manager or executive at the organization. Some organizations will have a change advisory board, or the change will be peer-reviewed.<\/p>\n

Those are professionals who create the change management plan and manage its implementation. But everyone, as noted above, will have some point of contact with the change management plan template. That includes business stakeholders, engineers or developers, service desk agents, operations managers, customer relationship managers, and, of course, the team tasked with executing the change management plan.<\/p>\n

How to Use This Change Management Plan Template for Excel<\/h2>\n

Once users download the change management plan template for Word, they’ll find a fully customizable document. They can add or remove sections to align the change management plan to their processes. The sections included are basic components of any change management plan. They are as follows.<\/p>\n

Document Information, History and Approvals<\/h3>\n

The first section of the change management plan template has an information table to track the identification of the document, who owns it, when it was issued, last saved and its file name. The next box captures the version number, the date it was issued and a list of the changes made. The document approval chart lists the roles, names, dates and signatures of leaders in the change management plan. A table of contents follows.<\/p>\n

Template Guide<\/h3>\n

This informational section answers various questions, such as what is a change management plan, its key elements, team and how to use the change management plan template.<\/p>\n

Change Management Documents<\/h3>\n

This section captures the various documentation necessary to plan, manage and implement the change management plan.<\/p>\n