Steps of change

The eight steps of change provide a practical structured approach to achieving successful change.

For each step, you’ll find:

  • why each step is important
  • key considerations for teams and services
  • how to complete each step effectively
  • tools and techniques to support delivery

It will also highlight how project management principles can strengthen your approach and ensure change is delivered safely and sustainably.

Identify

Identify

Identifying the need for change can come from many sources. You can learn from staff, service users, new technologies, or updates in policy and strategy
Understand

Understand

Understanding the challenge or opportunity you have found is key. It helps you choose the best option for change and guides your approach to making it happen
Develop and design

Develop and design

Developing and designing your options and collaborating with others to develop better solutions
Prototype and test

Prototype and test

Prototyping and testing what works and what does not work, allowing you to continue improving and refining your change
Review for implementation

Review for implementation

Reviewing for implementation to reflect on where you are and deciding how you want to continue
Define and implement

Define and implement

Define and implement how you will support teams in enacting that change as part of business as usual
Embed and sustain

Embed and sustain

Embedding and sustaining change as part of routine and culture
Review for spread

Review for spread

Reviewing which ideas to spread, why or why not, and what might be required to do this

Practical support

Tools and resources
Find tools and resources to support your change
Case studies and insights
Find examples of the Scottish Approach to Change in action 
Education and training
Find education and training materials to support your change