Why I Chose to Become Prosci Change Management Certified
After more than 25 years delivering projects, leading teams and helping organisations navigate change, I recently completed the Prosci Change Management Certification.
Some people have asked why.
After all, much of my career has involved managing change in one form or another. I've led operational improvements, organisational restructuring, agency growth, technology adoption, process transformation and post-acquisition integration work. Change has been a constant throughout my career.
So why pursue a formal qualification now?
The answer is actually quite simple.
I wanted to put a recognised framework around something I'd been doing instinctively for many years.
Projects Deliver Change. People Deliver Success.
One of the things I've observed throughout my career is that projects rarely fail because the technical solution is impossible.
More often, challenges arise because people are being asked to work differently.
New systems.
New processes.
New reporting structures.
New responsibilities.
While project management focuses on delivering the solution, change management focuses on helping people successfully adopt it.
The two disciplines are closely linked, but they are not the same thing.
Understanding both creates a much stronger foundation for successful delivery.
Experience Is Valuable. Frameworks Add Structure.
Like many experienced delivery professionals, I had developed my own approaches over time.
You learn what works.
You learn what doesn't.
You learn how different stakeholders respond to change.
Prosci provided something valuable alongside that experience: structure.
The certification brought together many concepts I'd encountered throughout my career and organised them into a practical, repeatable framework.
Rather than replacing experience, it helped formalise it.
The ADKAR Model Resonated With Me
One of the areas I found particularly useful was Prosci's ADKAR model:
Awareness
Desire
Knowledge
Ability
Reinforcement
What appealed to me was its simplicity.
Many change programmes become focused on activities and deliverables. ADKAR shifts the focus towards individual adoption and behaviour change.
It provides a straightforward way to identify where people may be struggling and what support they need to move forward.
Change Is Becoming Increasingly Important
Organisations today are experiencing constant change.
Technology continues to evolve.
Ways of working continue to shift.
Businesses are under pressure to adapt quickly.
As a result, the ability to manage both project delivery and people change is becoming increasingly valuable.
Organisations don't just need projects delivered.
They need outcomes adopted.
That distinction matters.
Combining Project Management and Change Management
Around the same time as completing Prosci, I also completed PRINCE2 certification.
For me, the two disciplines complement each other extremely well.
Project management provides the governance, structure and controls needed to deliver change.
Change management focuses on the people who ultimately determine whether that change succeeds.
Together they provide a more complete approach to transformation.
Looking Forward
One of the things I enjoy most about professional development is that it encourages reflection.
Prosci gave me the opportunity to step back and evaluate approaches I had developed over many years of practical experience.
It reinforced some ideas, challenged others and provided additional tools that I can apply in future projects and transformation programmes.
Most importantly, it reminded me that successful change is rarely about the process alone.
It's about people.
And helping people navigate change effectively remains one of the most important skills any organisation can develop.
About Mark M Barton
I am a Change Management, Project Delivery and Operations professional with over 25 years' experience helping organisations deliver complex projects, improve operations and navigate organisational change.
Certified in both Prosci Change Management and PRINCE2, I work across change management, project delivery, operational improvement, internal communications and transformation initiatives, helping organisations achieve successful outcomes through both structured delivery and effective people engagement.
If I can help you, your team, or your organisation do reach out
