Summary: Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_247_2013_11_02_-_stephen_townsend.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: This interview with Stephen Townsend was recorded at the PMI Global Congress 2013 North America in New Orleans. Every project introduces change to the performing organization. It is therefore no surprise, that change management is a concept that we project managers have to embrace and master. PMI's latest publication "Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide" helps us project managers learn more about and apply best practices from this field. Stephen Townsend (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/steve-townsend/5/886/340) is the Director for Global Alliances & Networks with PMI and we met up with him to learn more about the Practice Guide. We learn why and for whom it was developed. We discuss the basics of change management and then look at the characteristics of change management at the portfolio-, program- and project level. And we close the interview with Stephen's recommendations for the #1 thing that you need to apply on your projects in regards to change management. Hurry! Until November 20, 2013 you can download your personal copy of the Practice Guide from the following URL at no cost: http://www.pmi.org/Knowledge-Center/Change-Management/Change-Management-Form.aspx Below are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete transcript is available to Premium subscribers only. Podcast Introduction Cornelius Fichtner: We are still at the PMI Global Congress 2013 here in New Orleans and I am sitting here at the PMI Bookstore with Stephen Townsend from PMI. Podcast Interview Cornelius Fichtner: Hello Stephen! Welcome. Stephen Townsend: Hello! Thank you!. Good to be here, Cornelius. Cornelius Fichtner: Now, what is your role with PMI? Stephen Townsend: I am PMI's Director for Global Alliances and Networks which means I'm responsible for our registered education program, our registered consultant program and our alliances with other organizations whether they're other professional societies, corporations, government or academic institutions. Cornelius Fichtner: And what is your role when it comes to the practice guide in change management because that's the topic of our interview here? Stephen Townsend: The practice guide in change management was developed as part of PMI's overall program to help organizations improve their ability to successfully drive their strategies through projects, programs and portfolios; and change management is one of the critical elements of that. So my team helps to organize all of our internal resources as well as our external relationships to help drive different activities related to change management. So the practice guide is one of those elements. We also have educational programs that we conduct and we conduct with partners. We also have a series of white papers that are available that focus on different elements of change management. We are expanding our portfolio of e-learning and live learning courses in that area as well. So my team helps to coordinate all of those activities across our organization and with our external partners. Cornelius Fichtner: On the flight here, I was reading the Pulse of the Profession. Would that also fall under you? Stephen Townsend: That is actually a part of our brand group and I thought leadership program under the brand group. But the Pulse of the Profession is a driving force behind our program in change management because it was through the Pulse of the Profession that we identify the change management was one of the critical areas that organizations were struggling to do successfully. And so, it was through that research that we decided we needed to have a committed focus to help the institute build its resources and capabilities, to help both the practitioners and their organizations more successfully implement change management. Cornelius Fichtner: Who's th
