"Just heard from the Program Manager. Go-live's pushed back. Again."

Maya stared at her change impact assessment, now covered in crossed-out dates and question marks. Third delay this quarter.

Her stakeholders had been patient with the first shift, sceptical about the second, and now...

The Change Champs slack channel she’d set up told the story.

Where stakeholders once fired back immediate responses and jumped at workshop invites, now every message felt like shouting into the void.

That early energy about the change was slipping away, one unanswered message at a time.

"Here we go," she said to her empty office, pulling up the stakeholder matrix on her screen. "Need to stop the eye-rolling before it becomes contagious."

When your go-live date feels like a moving target and your stakeholders are losing faith, here's how to keep your change program from unravelling:

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"So Corporate wants everyone using the new digital approval workflow, but the regional teams are pushing back hard," said Jordan from Finance.

"They reckon their assessors are on the road 90% of the time and need a different process."

Lisa nodded, adding another sticky note to her change impact canvas.

IT wanted a single, standardised process for cyber security. HR needed flexible options for their part-time managers. And the field teams? They were adamant their 5:00 am starts in remote areas meant any system requiring a laptop was a deal-breaker.

Through her home office window, Lisa watched autumn leaves scattering in different directions.

Five different business units, five different ways of working, and one enterprise-wide change that needed to land by July.

"Well, this is fun," she sighed, reaching for her notebook. "Another 'one size fits nobody' situation to sort out."

When your business units are as aligned as cats at bath time, here's how to navigate the "but we're different!" conversations without losing your mind:

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"Sorry, I know I said I'd help with stuff, but I've got three reports due by Friday, two team members off sick, and my inbox is exploding."

Kai stared at the message from Nina, one of his most enthusiastic change champions.

Through the open-plan office window, he could see the late afternoon autumn sun casting long shadows - a bit like his change network lately, showing up briefly and then disappearing into the chaos of their day jobs.

He glanced at his change champion meeting attendance sheet.

Last month: 15 people. This month: 4 people and a sad plate of untouched Tim Tams.

"Right," he said, grabbing his notebook. "Time to stop pretending BAU isn't eating them alive."

Let's get real - your change champions aren't ghosting you because they don't care.

They're drowning in their day jobs, and those "quick tasks" you’ve asked them to do are just one more thing on their endless to-do list.

Here's how to keep your network alive when BAU is going bonkers:

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"So the staff numbers I gave you last week... they're not quite right," said Nathan from Corporate, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"And that whole end-of-financial-year impact we discussed? It's actually going to affect different teams than what I originally said."

Mel felt her stomach drop as she looked at her change impact assessment - the one she'd spent weeks crafting based on Nathan's initial input about team structures and business cycles.

The one that was shaping her entire stakeholder engagement approach and training schedule.

Through the window, she could see the first autumn leaves starting to fall. Just like her carefully planned change approach, everything was up in the air again…

"Plus," Nathan added, clearing his throat, "remember how I said the regional teams would be minimally impacted? Well..."

"Okay, wait, I need a coffee," Mel said, pulling out KeepCup. "Time to figure out what's really going on here."

If your SMEs keep shifting the goalposts about who's impacted and how, don't stress.

Here's a practical, step-by-step approach to getting to the real story (inspired by Lean Change Management principles):

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"I need to reschedule our catch-up," says the message from Aisha's Executive Sponsor.

Through her office window, the February sun blazed as Aisha tried to make sense of her calendar - already a Tetris game of moving pieces and shifting priorities.

Her Exec Sponsor was absolutely lovely and one of the organisation's most effective executives - always delivering, always across the detail, just... incredibly time-poor.

With three major program decisions needing sign-off this week, Aisha needed to find a better way to work with her Sponsor's packed schedule.

"New year, new approach," she said, opening her notebook with fresh determination. "Time to level up how we do this."

As Peter Drucker famously said, "Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed."

If you're working with a time-poor Exec Sponsor (and let's face it, who isn't these days?), here are three strategies to keep your change program moving:

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"Everyone was so enthusiastic in the workshop though!"

Maya scrolled through her photos from the co-design sessions she'd held back in early December - sticky notes everywhere, energetic discussions, genuine excitement about the new ways of working. Yet here she was, watching people steadfastly ignore everything they'd agreed to.

The new workflow dashboard? Untouched.

The weekly case review meetings? Dropped after the first attempt.

The feedback loop they'd all championed? Crickets.

She opened her workshop summary document, filled with photos of smiling participants and dot-voted priorities.

"What happened between then and now?" she wondered.

If your workshop enthusiasm isn't translating into real change (and you're wondering why great sessions aren't leading to actual behaviour change), here are three strategies to bridge that gap:

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"Wait, what do you mean Finance is also implementing a workflow tool?"

Rachel stared at her coffee cup, trying to process what she'd just heard.

Apparently, the Finance team had secured funding for their own automation project. With striking similarities to the one her team was already six months into delivering.

Her mind raced through the implications.

Two different tools. Two different vendors. Same core problem they were trying to solve.

"And how long has this been in play?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, about three months now. We're actually looking at going live around the same time as your project."

If you've just discovered your project has an unexpected twin, here are three change management strategies to help your stakeholders navigate this situation:

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"Hope you had a great break! Quick update - I caught up with Jane (CIO) over the holidays. We've agreed to include the Policy Division's workflow in the new system. Shouldn't be a big deal to add this now. Can you update the change approach accordingly?

Thanks, Mark

Executive Sponsor, XYZ Change Program"

Amy stared at her screen, her coffee suddenly tasting very bitter.

The email thread that followed showed a series of enthusiastic messages between the Sponsor and CIO, casually expanding what was already a complex change program.

She glanced at the project poster still hanging on her wall from December - the one with the carefully negotiated scope, timeline, and resource plan. The one that had taken three months to get signed off. The one that definitely didn't include the Policy Division's notoriously complicated workflow.

"Happy freaking new year to me," she groaned, reaching for the emergency Tim Tams she kept in her desk.

If you've just discovered the change program has... expanded (because apparently scope creep doesn't take holidays), here are three ways to handle it without losing that post-vacation zen:

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"Welcome back! Can we catch up this week? Need to discuss some changes we're thinking about..."

Tegan stared at her inbox, watching similar meeting requests pile up. After three blissful weeks of not thinking about the transformation program, her calendar was rapidly filling with stakeholders wanting to "grab a coffee and catch up."

She glanced at her notebook from December, trying to decipher her pre-holiday handwriting. Something about a steering committee decision? And what was that arrow pointing to?

"Right," she sighed, reaching for her third coffee of the morning. "Time to pretend I remember where we were up to."

If you're facing the back-to-work blur (and wondering how to get your change program moving again without overwhelming everyone), here are three ways to make your first week back actually productive:

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"I've been offered another role. My last day is Friday."

Jess stared at her screen, reading and re-reading the email from Michael, her star change champion in Finance.

The one who'd spent months building support for the new system. The one who actually understood how the new system worked. The one who...was now leaving in four days.

She glanced at the calendar - late January, half her stakeholders still on leave, and now this. Perfect.

"Well sh*t, what do I do now?"

If you're dealing with an unexpected departure (and let's be real, January is prime time for job changes), here are three things you can actually control:

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"And where were you six months ago when we tried to tell everyone this wouldn't work?"

Mel tried not to flinch as Steve's voice rose across the meeting room. Around the table, his four team members sat with arms firmly crossed, nodding in agreement.

The air conditioning hummed in the background, doing nothing to cool the tension in the room.

She'd been warned this team was "resistant to change." But sitting here now, three weeks into her role as Change Manager, Mel was starting to see the real story.

This wasn't resistance - this was a group that had been trying to be heard for months.

If you're facing a group of stakeholders who've been burned by not being heard (and let's be real, who wants to deal with heated conversations right now - the weather’s already hot enough!), here are three ways to turn it around:

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"Oh great, another transformation project," muttered Chris, not even trying to hide his eye roll. "Because the last one worked out so well..."

Maya, the new Change Manager, felt the temperature in the room drop ten degrees (and not in a good, air-conditioned way).

She glanced at her predecessor's handover notes: "Stakeholders were promised X, Y, and Z. None delivered."

Scanning the room, she counted four crossed arms, three sceptical eyebrows, and enough emotional scar tissue to fill a change management textbook.

When the Australian cricket team faced their trust crisis after 'Sandpapergate', they rebuilt their reputation step by step.

As we watch this summer's cricket season unfold, there are some powerful lessons we can apply to change management.

Here's how:

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"This year, I'm going to be more organised", Ben thought, attempting his third poolside cocktail-in-one-hand, phone-notes-in-the-other juggle.

Like most New Year's resolutions, it felt both optimistic and slightly delusional.

His attempt at a January kickstart last year had involved three days of back-to-back workshops, seventeen coffee runs, and one major meltdown (his).

The change program eventually got moving... somewhere around March.

But now, watching his kids invent a game that seemed to involve minimal movement but maximum impact (something about using the pool noodle as a water cannon), Ben had an epiphany.

Maybe the secret wasn't working harder in January - it was working smarter.

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"Good luck! Hope nothing breaks while we're all at the beach hahahaha!"

Alex winced as Sarah from IT's parting words echoed in his head. She'd tossed them over her shoulder yesterday, heading off for three weeks of camping with a cheerful wave.

Now, at 2am, the day before Christmas Eve, he was still awake scrolling through his "Go-Live Readiness" checklist for the hundredth time.

Technical requirements? Check. User training? Check. Stakeholder sign-off? Check.

So why can't he shake the knot in his stomach about their January 1st go-live?

If you're staring down the barrel of a January 1st go-live, we’re sorry!

Here are two critical moves that we use (and that most Go Live Checklists forget):

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Emma looked at her calendar and grinned. Only a week until her well-earned beach break. Three glorious weeks of sun, surf, and definitely not thinking about the transformation program.

Then her smile faded slightly as she remembered last year's post-holiday pain: returning to find momentum had completely flatlined, stakeholders had forgotten key decisions, and getting the program moving again had taken until March.

"Not this time," she murmured, pulling up her Change Canvas. "What can I set up now to keep this alive while we're all living our best beach lives?"

Here are three smart moves you can make now to keep your change program cooking while you're enjoying that poolside cocktail:

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Noah, the change lead for the national standardisation project, stands in the Brisbane office, facing a visibly frustrated Will, the Branch Head.

Between them, a laptop showing an email from Canberra that practically radiated impatience.

"...expect full compliance with the new standardised processes by end of Q4..." the message demanded.

Will gestures to a whiteboard covered in everything they’ve talked about in the past hour.

"Seriously, Noah. Our localised approach has boosted customer satisfaction by 15%. Those idiots in the Canberra Office just don't get it."

Noah nodded, mind racing.

How can he harmonise National's drive for consistency with Brisbane's proven local success?

In our world of organisational change, this kind of conflict between the national office and state or regional offices is something that comes up all.the.time.

Here’s some cool ideas that have worked for us if you’re dealing with this conflict now:

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Jamie and Bri step into the lift, both worn out after another long day.

"Any word from Nathan?" Bri asks, her voice tinged with a little hope and a lot of frustration. Nathan is the change program’s Executive Sponsor and he’s been MIA for the past 3 months…

Jamie shakes his head, sighing. "Still nothing. We’ve submitted a bunch of reports and strategies that need his clearance, and we're just... stuck, still waiting."

Bri nods, understanding all too well.

As the lift doors closed, both fell silent, minds racing with the same thought: How can they break this cycle and finally move forward?

It’s beyond frustrating when the Exec Sponsor is the bottleneck for everything! If your Exec Sponsor’s MIA too, here’s what works for us:

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Alex leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. The whiteboard in the CMO's meeting room was a chaotic mess of project timelines, all overlapping and bleeding into each other.

Five team restructures, two new Directors, and a constant influx of new initiatives had left the entire Change Management Office feeling like they were running on fumes.

"OMG another one?" groaned Priya, the engagement lead, as she squinted at the latest addition to their workload. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the last one."

"Tell me about it," chimed in Raj, one of the change managers. "I can't remember the last time I had a weekend without my laptop."

Alex nodded sympathetically. As a fellow change manager, he was struggling with the weight of constant flux too. It sucked.

And the irony wasn't lost on him - they were the ones supposed to be guiding others through change, yet here they were, struggling to keep their heads above water.

He glanced around at his colleagues. It was clear: the CMO itself needed their own kind of change strategy to combat their growing fatigue.

Sound like you? Here are some ideas that have worked well for us in similar situations:

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Josh stood before a room of blank faces, the silence deafening.

His carefully crafted presentation on the upcoming digital transformation hung in the air, met with a wall of indifference.

He could almost hear the collective eye-rolls and stifled yawns.

"Any questions?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly. The words seemed to evaporate in the dull conference room.

A single hand raised tentatively. "Um, when exactly is this happening?" came a hesitant voice from the back.

Josh's heart sank. After weeks of communication, was that really all they had to ask?

He could tell they didn’t give a sh*t.

As he packed up his laptop, the pit in his stomach growing, Josh couldn't shake the feeling that despite all their planning, this change initiative was already losing steam.

"How the hell can I get people more engaged?", he wondered, his mind racing for a solution.

Little did Josh know, the answer to his woes could be found in an unlikely pair: a Hollywood animation studio and an e-commerce giant.

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Sarah's heart raced as she stared at her computer screen, the cursor blinking accusingly in the empty email draft.

"How am I supposed to explain this when I barely understand it myself?" she muttered, running her hand through her hair.

Just yesterday, the Executive Board had announced a major digital transformation initiative.

The problem? The specifics were about as clear as a foggy morning in Melbourne.

Sarah's stomach churned. She glanced at the clock - 4:45 PM. In 15 minutes, she had a meeting with the Executive Sponsor, who was expecting a full communication plan.

She could almost hear his voice: "We need to get ahead of this, Sarah. People are talking."
She took a deep breath, trying to quell the rising panic. "Right," she said to herself, squaring her shoulders. "Time to make sense of the senseless."

Designing messaging and communication plans when there’s so much uncertainty can be so stressful.

If you’re feeling this pain right now, here are some ideas that have worked for us:

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