Did you wake up this morning thinking about the 5 Steps to Cope new grant regulations?
Or does that seem like some kind of cruel and unusual punishment?
Like it or not, the new regulations are coming.
That’s the reality.
But you can get ready for this change without losing your mind…or sense of humor.
Keep reading to see our change management approach for coping with the new grant regulations:
Step One: Fact-Finding-What’s Changed?
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
-Lao-tzu
The first step in this this journey is to determine: “What’s changed?”
Getting reliable information and facts help you start processing what is different from the old way of doing things.
Fact-finding a necessary first step to good change management
And there’s a side benefit…
Taking control of the situation can make you feel more in charge, and less at the mercy of the Changing Regulations.
Step Two: Impact Analysis-Where’s the Pain?
Remember having a loose tooth as a kid?
It seemed like your tongue kept finding that tooth?
• Pushing it?
• Wiggling it?
The next step is a lot like that.
• You need to push a little bit.
Figure out exactly where the current way of doing things are a little loose.
Or maybe just the places that need to open up some space, so the new way of doing things can grow into place.
Determining exactly where the pain points are helps you prioritize what to tackle first.
Step Three: Imagine the Future
“Begin with the end in mind.”
-Stephen Covey
Being lost is stressful!
And the longer you are lost, the more stressful it becomes.
Imagining the future that is coming allows you to see the destination in your mind.
Knowing the desired end result helps you to work backward to see what steps you need to accomplish to get these changes implemented.
Think of this step like a little GPS.
• Turn right ahead.
• Make a U-turn ahead.
Recalculating….
Step Four: Choose the Team
Who is playing on your team?
And who’s playing for the opposing team?
With any change of this magnitude, you have to determine who can help you get the desired results.
And you also have to figure out where the “roadblocks” are.
• Do you have people that think they don’t need any training…ever again?
• Do you have people that the old way of doing things is “good enough?”
Great teams are built with a diversity of talents and roles.
For winning change management, choose your team to cover a variety of program staff, finance and purchasing, and other stakeholders.
Step Five: Release the Kraken-Start Implementing
You’ve got a goal.
You’ve got a team.
What’s next?
Next are the “nitty-gritty” details:
• What policies need to be revamped?
• What new procedures are now required?
• Who’s going to tackle that?
• When will it be done 5 Steps to Cope?
Heavy-duty change management gets launched at this point.
This is where the journey starts to feel like a thousand miles.
But take a deep breath 5 Steps to Cope…
We’re all heading to the same destination.
We can help each other in the months ahead.
It starts with one step…
Ready to Improve Your Grant Management?
How about you?
Would you like to be a better grant manager?
We have another grant management training seminar coming soon.
Click here to get all the details!
Hope to see you there!
Author:
Lucy Morgan CPA, MBA
CEO, Compliance Warrior
Author of “Decoding Grant Management-The Ultimate Success Guide to the Federal Grant Regulations in 2 CFR Part 200” The 2nd Edition is now available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle versions.