Technique 1.220 Change Readiness Checklist for Punctuation Phases
(High-Disruption/High-Velocity Change)
Introduction
This checklist is for assessing whether the organisation is truly ready to execute rapid, large-scale change during a punctuation phase, when speed, clarity and trust matter most.
Scoring: score each statement from 1–5:
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
Statements
1. Strategic Readiness (Direction & Case for Change)
- The trigger for change is clearly defined (crisis, disruption, opportunity).
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- There is a single, clearly articulated “why now” narrative.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders agree on thenon-negotiable outcomes.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Thecost of not changing is understood and documented.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- The change aligns withcore strategy, not just short-term panic.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- There is aclear future-state description (not just activities).
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1 |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Competing stories about why the change is happening.
2. Leadership Alignment & Authority
- Executive team isgenuinely aligned, not just compliant.
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1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- A single sponsor owns final decisions.
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1 |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Delegated authority is formally confirmed.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders are prepared tomodel behaviour change immediately.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders are trained inleading during uncertainty.
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1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Middle managers are briefedbefore public announcements.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Leaders asking for “more consultation” after urgency is declared.
3. Decision Velocity & Governance
- Fast decision pathways are defined.
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1 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Approval bottlenecks have been removed.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Change governance islightweight, not bureaucratic.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Tolerance levels for errors and rework are explicitly agreed.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Escalation rules are clear and enforced.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Legal, HR, Finance, etc are pre-embedded — not downstream blockers.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Old governance structures still controlling and/or dealying high-speed change.
4. Workforce Readiness & Psychological Safety
- Staff understand thatdisruption is expected, not a sign of failure.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Psychological safety has been explicitly addressed.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders can openly say “We don’t have all the answers yet.”
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1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Support mechanisms (EAP, coaching, peer supports, etc) are in place.
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1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Emotional reactions (fear, anger, grief) are anticipated.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Change fatigue is being actively monitored.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: High silence, cynicism or withdrawal.
5. Communication Readiness (Speed, Clarity and Trust)
- A high-frequency communication cadence is established.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Messages are short, consistent, and repeated.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders are briefed with common talking points.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Rumour response protocol is active.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Two-way communication channels are open.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- “What we don’t know yet” is openly declared.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Staff learning key decisions from media or rumours.
6. Capability, Capacity & Resource Readiness
- Critical roles for the transition are filled.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Workforce capacity has been realistically assessed.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Operational “business as usual” load has been reduced where possible.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Skills gaps have been identified with rapid upskilling options.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- External specialists are pre-engaged if required.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Budget flexibility is approved.
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Expecting transformation on top of full operational workload.
7. System & Process Readiness
- Core systems can tolerate fast change without collapse.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Data required for decision-making is accessible and reliable.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- IT and operational dependencies are mapped.
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Legacy process constraints are acknowledged.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Transitional “workarounds” are acceptable where needed.
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Cyber and compliance risks are actively monitored.
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1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Discovering critical system dependencies mid-transition.
8. Change Impact & Risk Readiness
- Impact assessments are rapid but realistic.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Risks are prioritised forpace, not perfection.
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1 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- High-risk workforce groups are identified.
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1 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Industrial, legal and reputational risks are pre-scanned.
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1 |
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5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Red/amber thresholds are actively monitored.
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1 |
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4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Manual overrides for emergency decisions are defined.
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1 |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Risk processes slowing down transformation decisions.
9. Cultural & Identity Readiness
- Leaders understand whichold cultural norms must die.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- The organisation is prepared fortemporary identity loss.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- A future cultural narrative is already being seeded.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Symbols, language, and rituals are being intentionally reset.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Legacy practices are being actively decommissioned.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- New expectations are reinforced immediately.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: Talking about “new culture” while rewarding old behaviour.
10. Stabilisation & New-Equilibrium Planning
- A stabilisation phase is formally planned.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Leaders know when toslow down again.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Capability transfer plans are in place.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Process documentation will be rebuilt post-change.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Performance expectations will be reset.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
- Staff recovery and morale rebuilding are planned.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Never/rarely |
Sometimes |
Often |
Usually |
Always |
🔴 Red flag: No plan beyond the “urgent phase.”
Comments
Rapid Readiness Scoring (Optional) for each section
- 0–10: Not ready (high failure risk)
- 11–20: Partially ready (severe instability likely)
- 21–29: Operationally ready (high leadership demand)
- 30: Strong readiness (resilient ‘punctuation’ capacity)
(main source: Vanessa Friedman, 2025)