What Is a Transition Plan? Example & Template Included

Modifications, whether or not private or skilled, are by no means straightforward to navigate. That is the place a transition plan will help present construction to the chaos. A transition plan is utilized in many industries. In venture administration, a transition plan will help a venture transfer efficiently from one part to the subsequent, onboarding a brand new workforce member or transferring one workforce member to a brand new place and/or division. A transition plan is a vital doc, however what’s transition planning and how will you create a transition plan?

We’ll reply these questions and supply a transition plan instance as an example a real-life situation. There’s additionally a hyperlink to obtain a free transition plan template for Excel to assist transition staff from one function to a different. We may even define the advantages of utilizing a transition plan in order that the subsequent time there’s a transition in a company, it would transfer ahead easily and with out incident.

What Is Transition Planning?

Earlier than attending to the transition plan, let’s outline transition planning. Basically, transition planning is just an action plan that helps folks put together for a transition into a brand new part of life. As famous above, transition planning is used when an worker leaves, enters or modifications their function in a company. Transition planning may assist a company remodel right into a extra versatile, collaborative surroundings. For IT, transition planning will help transfer companies from growth into manufacturing.

What Is a Transition Plan?

A transition plan is a doc that outlines the transition’s steps, objectives and timeline. This strategic plan will help a venture easily transition from implementation to upkeep inside a company. It’s additionally helpful when transferring a venture workforce from a accomplished venture to a different venture. The transition plan can save all of the pertinent data and guarantee it’s not misplaced as tasks change or transfer ahead.

Utilizing a transition plan ensures a easy transition by minimizing distributions and sustaining high quality, effectivity and progress. Groups that use a transition plan will be capable of proactively determine and deal with potential dangers and uncertainties. However a transition plan isn’t solely a venture administration doc, it’s used throughout many industries and helps these concerned perceive their strengths and weaknesses, helps progress and success.

The transition plan units the stage, however venture administration software program places the plan into motion. ProjectManager is award-winning venture and portfolio administration software program that has strong Gantt charts that set up the steps in a transition plan, linking dependencies to keep away from delays and setting a baseline to trace progress in actual time. Get began with ProjectManager at the moment without spending a dime.

When Ought to Organizations Use a Transition Plan?

We’ve talked a bit about how transition plans will help venture administration, organizational change management and worker turnover. Utilizing a transition plan helps to make sure continuity and cut back disruptions that may get in the way in which of enterprise workflows, tasks and companies. The transition plan supplies a framework that creates information sharing, mitigates dangers and units and achieves expectations. Listed below are three examples of when a company ought to use a transition plan.

• Venture Administration: A transition plan can be utilized to doc the steps and procedures for transitioning a completed project, comparable to guiding the handover of the venture workforce to a brand new venture or to these chargeable for sustaining the venture. It could additionally assist with onboarding new workforce members or transitioning a workforce member to a brand new place.
• Organizational Change: When a company needs to alter its organizational construction, it’ll use a transition plan. For instance, in the event that they need to change from a standard construction to a matrix construction, or perhaps they need to merely add or take away a enterprise division for which they’ll must switch folks, a transition plan constructions that change to make sure it occurs with out incident.
• Worker Turnover: Any enterprise ought to have a transition plan prepared for use in case a key worker leaves, like a division supervisor or an government. This helps the brand new particular person taking on that place perceive what’s anticipated of them.

What Ought to Be Included in a Transition Plan?

Relying on the kind of transition plan, the contents can range. Let’s take a look at a selected worker transition plan, which might have the next data main the doc: the title of the worker transitioning to a brand new place, the date of that exit, who will succeed them, the present function, the brand new function, the present supervisor and the brand new supervisor in addition to the outdated and new division, if relevant.

Subsequent, there’s a piece to gather accountability and expectations. This part communicates the objectives and visions of the transition. It describes the function that the brand new worker will play within the every day operations of the group. There’s additionally a piece for information switch, which codifies the method of passing down organizational and technical information from the particular person leaving the function to the one taking their place.

A job guidelines captures all of the duties and particulars of that work in order that the worker filling the function has a radical understanding of what they’re anticipated to do. This handoff of tasks is a blueprint and a map for the particular person taking on the function to hit the bottom working. Something that didn’t make it into the above sections is collected within the further plan data. On the backside of the transition plan doc are signature traces and dates for the folks concerned to signal.

Get your free

Transition Plan Template

Use this free Transition Plan Template for Excel to handle your tasks higher.

Obtain Excel File

Methods to Make a Transition Plan

To create a transition plan, begin by defining the imaginative and prescient. Develop a transparent thought for the longer term and guarantee that it aligns with the values and strategic initiatives of the group. If, for instance, the transition plan is for a task change, then speaking to the worker leaving the place is essential to understanding the knowledge that must be transferred. As soon as this background is finished, observe these 5 steps.

1. Estimate the Timeline of the Transition Interval

And not using a deadline, the transition may go on without end. Whereas that is an exaggeration, creating a timeline will assist be certain that the transition is accomplished when it must be achieved with out interrupting the venture or operations. To make a timeline, all of the duties concerned in a transition plan ought to have a begin and finish date. Estimating the length of every process will assist ship the transition on time.

2. Outline Objectives and Make an Motion Plan

To create a timeline, one should first have duties and people duties come from the steps which are taken to attain a purpose. Subsequently, defining the purpose of the transition is paramount. As soon as that has been accomplished, use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to determine the deliverables within the transition plan and, in so doing, the duties and subtasks that can produce them. That is then the beginning of an motion plan.

3. Establish a Successor

The roadmap is now coming collectively, however it wants a passenger to journey the route that has been created to transition from one function to a different. That particular person is the successor or the worker who will take over the function of the incumbent. This worker should be chosen rigorously to make sure that they’ve the proper skills and expertise to satisfy the mandate of the transition plan.

4. Make a Transition Doc

With the knowledge gathered above, the subsequent step is to seize all in a transition plan doc. This can information the transition and guarantee it’s thorough and retains to the transition plan.

5. Start the Onboarding Course of

At this level, the transition plan a part of the method is full. It’s time to onboard the worker within the new function. All through the execution of the transition plan, managers or supervisors ought to monitor its progress. By measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) all through the onboarding course of, managers can see in the event that they’re on observe to finish the transition plan. Remember to find time for evaluation and suggestions, too.

Transition Plan Instance

To raised illustrate the method of a transition plan, let’s think about an instance and observe it via the method. On this case, we’ll take a look at Acme Manufacturing, which is putting an worker in its inventory division. That particular person is succeeding a retiring worker. That retiring worker is interviewed to get a full image of their function, accountability and expectation, any organizational and technical information they’ve and a guidelines of all their tasks.

The supervisor accountable for the transition makes a timeline by which the duties wanted to show the brand new worker the ins and outs of the function are outlined, with begin dates and due dates. These duties are then assigned to the supervisor or presumably the retiring worker. This onboarding course of might be achieved in particular person, on-line or a hybrid of each to facilitate collaboration.

The supervisor, whereas managing the onboarding course of, additionally displays KPIs to make sure that the work is being achieved by the transition plan. All of it goes properly, the retiring worker leaves on schedule and their successor is put in place with a full information of their tasks.

Transition Plan Template

To make sure that the transition plan has not missed something important. Obtain this free transition plan template for Excel. It supplies the construction to create a novel transition plan and helps to guarantee that the transition is easy and with out incident.

The free transition plan template is a framework that captures all of the elements of a profitable transition. It may be utilized in venture administration for organizational change, onboarding workforce members or managing the transition from one venture part to a different.

Extra Free Associated Templates for Organizational Planning

For these not able to improve to ProjectManager, we provide over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Phrase that cowl all elements of managing a venture throughout a number of industries. Under are just a few free templates that can be utilized in organizational planning.

Change Impact Assessment Template

Use this free change influence evaluation template for Excel to assist create a greater transition plan. It would assist customers perceive how the deliberate change will influence the group, venture and other people concerned.

Action Plan Template

One step in making a transition plan is creating motion steps. Use this free motion plan template for Excel to interrupt down the transition course of into actionable steps, including precedence, assignments, standing and extra.

Implementation Plan Template

To assemble all of the duties and sources wanted for a transition plan and put them on a timeline use this free implementation plan template for Excel. It provides managers the framework they should lead a profitable transition.

Advantages of Making a Transition Plan

Utilizing a transition plan has many advantages. It reduces the nervousness that accompanies any transition. Doing that can make the method transfer smoother. However a transition plan can also determine challenges, comparable to roadblocks earlier than they grow to be vital points.

A transition plan additionally streamlines operations by making certain the continuity of a place’s tasks and the safety of its resources. Utilizing a transition plan can be a solution to put together for the longer term. It permits for the follow of creating selections so these transitions are easy and don’t disrupt work.

ProjectManager Helps Organizations Execute Plans

A transition plan is a plan like many others utilized in venture administration. As soon as the transition plan has been made, the execution part follows. That is when a static template isn’t going to chop it and customers will need to swap over to venture administration software program. ProjectManager is award-winning venture and portfolio administration software program that helps managers and their groups execute transition plans.

A number of Venture Planning Views

Whereas Gantt charts are perfect for organizing duties, linking dependencies and setting a baseline to trace progress, different workforce members may not use Gantt charts. That’s why ProjectManager has a number of venture views, such because the visible workflow kanban boards, process lists and calendar views. This enables the folks concerned within the transition plan to make use of the instruments they’re most acquainted and cozy with.

Strong Useful resource Administration Options

Managing the sources required to easily execute the transition plan is a key a part of executing plans. Our resource management features start with onboarding, the place the provision of sources might be set, comparable to PTO, trip and international holidays, which makes it simpler to assign duties. Utilizing the workforce web page or color-coded workload chart balances workforce workload to maintain everybody working at capability.

On-line Staff Collaboration Platform

Not all groups share an workplace, however with our collaborative platform, they will collaborate on the transition plan irrespective of the place they’re or once they work. Our limitless file storage means the software program is a hub to simply discover all venture documentation with out having to sift via emails. Information might be shared, groups can remark on the process stage and keep up to date on modifications and progress with e mail and in-app alerts.

Associated Organizational Planning Content material

A transition plan is one a part of the bigger organizational planning course of. For these seeking to be taught extra about this, beneath are some hyperlinks to current posts on the subject.

ProjectManager is on-line venture and portfolio administration software program that connects groups whether or not they’re within the workplace or out within the area. They’ll share recordsdata, remark on the process stage and keep updated with e mail and in-app notifications. Be a part of groups at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software program to ship profitable tasks. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.