Don't miss Part 1! We are halfway into the story!

Here is the less entertaining version of what happened so far:

Assembly of The Standard Working Group (SWG) in 2012 - a global team
Establishment of a development process according to International Organization for Standards (ISO) guidelines
SWG reviews all of the major methods, resources and best practices related to change management
A draft of The Standard for Change Management is produced and shared with the entire community of people involved in change work
More than 1100 participants worldwide submit 3500 comments for the change management framework drafted by the SWG helped shape The Standard for Change Management.

With such input there can be no question that the development process was truly global and inclusive. A final SWG online marathon session (more coffee!) in 2014 was used to review and ratify the final draft of the Standard. Each piece of input was considered carefully and used to shape a common approach to change management work.

What's Inside The Standard?

Lots of change management goodness!

Description of generally accepted practices, processes, tasks and activities
Guidance for organizational change management, for any type of change across roles, industries, and organizations
Role definitions
Clear and consistent vocabulary of essential change management terminology
Support for organization decision making regarding change management resources

Practitioners may get engaged with change programs at any stage. Regardless of when that is, the practitioner can use The Standard to determine the right activities to apply to get the best results during change.

Starting at the beginning? Here's an excerpt of the first activity related to Evaluating Change Impact:

Need to ensure the change implemented is reinforced for the long term? Check out the section on Sustainability Planning:

The Standard includes guiding questions to ensure you have covered all of the most critical aspects of the plan.

What else can I use The Standard for?

The SWG accomplished the goal set out by ACMP:

Package it so it can be applied by practitioners globally, regardless of context or culture.
Establish it as the foundation for a global credential: the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP)

Besides being a guide for all change management related work, it serves as a practical resource for training. In fact, The Standard is the cornerstone for ACMP’s Qualified Education Provider™ (QEP) program. Each of the vendors in QEP have proven that their content aligns with the 5 processes described in The Standard.

The Standard is also your handy study guide for the Certified Change Management Professional™ credential. The exam and essay questions are based on the content and concepts described in The Standard.

CCMP is also being developed according to ISO guidelines. That's a double-shot of credibility!

Is it a Body of Knowledge?

Many associations have created a Body of Knowledge (e.g., PMBOK). ACMP does not consider The Standard to be equivalent to a BOK which are more expansive (bigger documents) and often include practical processes for getting the job done. A Standard provides guidance on the best practice followed within the relevant industry. BOKs go deeper.

What does it cost? Where can I get it?

The Standard for Change Management is the culmination of two years’ work and thousands of hours of effort across every timezone. It is a critical resource for change management practitioners worldwide. And best of all, it’s free!

The Standard was released as a resource for the entire community. Download it here!

We hope you will find it useful. It is an incredible accomplishment for an association to complete in only it's third year of existence.