Daptiv, the on-demand leader in project portfolio management (PPM) software, today announced the launch of an organisational change management (OCM) practice to help customers successfully identify, plan and manage the inevitable changes associated with new technology implementation and deployment. The new services practice provides experienced and dedicated OCM guidance, planning and execution for Daptiv PPM customers to improve critical implementation success factors, including adoption, utilisation and a rapid return on investment.

The new OCM practice announcement was made today at the Gartner PPM & IT Governance Summit, being held in National Harbor Maryland, where OCM has a dedicated content track and is being billed as a conference "hot topic".

Contrary to popular belief, most project failures occur because the business (the people, processes and environment) is unprepared, unwilling or unaware of the changes that need to take place for a successful new technology deployment. The negative impact this has on project success rates across all new technology implementations is immense.

According to a survey by IT research firm the Standish Group, 31% of projects are cancelled before they are completed. Additionally, an estimated 61% of those that are completed run over schedule (source: Panorama Consulting). Another recent survey by Proscii asked PPM practitioners what they would do differently on their next project. The second most popular answer was securing sufficient change management resources, combined with an emphasis on preparation and planning.

Establishing and executing a plan for proactively managing changes to technology, processes and people impacted by new implementations across an organisation or team dramatically improves project success rates. By offering project portfolio professionals the experienced change management support they need, Daptiv's OCM practice gives customers the tools to diminish project risk associated with lack of adoption; the number one cause of new technology project failure.

"With our new OCM practice, we now have a comprehensive solution that addresses not only the technology, but the people and processes required to optimize PPM implementation success," said John Baldwin, CEO at Daptiv. "Daptiv's OCM capabilities reflect demand we are seeing in the market for a better way to holistically manage the successful adoption of new technology initiatives. This is a complementary addition to Daptiv PPM, particularly extending the effectiveness of our overall solution for mid-sized and large organisations worldwide where implementations tend to be more complex and have further reaching organisational change implications."

Backed by Daptiv's 17 years of PPM expertise, the new OCM practice offers in-depth knowledge of the product, while focusing primarily on the critical aspects of change management, and ultimately helps customers better prepare their people for a successful change. Daptiv OCM emphasises assessing the specific requirements of each unique customer at the front end of an engagement. This allows for tailored communication, learning and sustainability plans and deliverables, which are developed and incorporated during the life of the project to improve company-wide adoption and project success.

OCM, as it relates to PPM, is indicative of the broad responsibilities demanded of today's PMO. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2016, successful transformation programme leaders will direct 60% of the budget to organisational/business process change activities. These programmes take into account how much change a business can undergo in any given period. Much of this responsibility will fall within the confines of the PMO, requiring even greater alignment and the ability to work collaboratively and synergistically.

Daptiv's OCM capabilities are now available, with specific offerings incorporated as standard in Daptiv's Business-Driven Implementation professional services offering for Daptiv PPM. Daptiv also offers expanded OCM service offerings on a custom consulting basis to accommodate additional and specific customer needs.