Leanchange

Leanchange, also known as Lean Change Management, is a framework for implementing organizational change by applying lean startup and agile principles to change initiatives. It emphasizes iterative experiments, validated learning, stakeholder collaboration, and rapid feedback to reduce risk and increase adaptability during transformation.

Originating in the early 2010s and popularized by Jason Little, Lean Change Management draws on concepts from the Lean Startup and business model canvases. Little’s work and the associated LeanChange.org resources provide practical tools and methods for running organizational change as a series of experiments rather than a single, large upfront plan.

Key concepts include the Lean Change Canvas, a one-page plan that summarizes the problem, proposed solution, stakeholders, metrics, and a set of experiments. The approach also uses a change backlog and roadmap to organize work, emphasizes stakeholder engagement, and promotes lightweight governance. The central mindset is to build, test, learn, and adapt with real feedback from those affected by the change.

The typical process involves defining the change objective, mapping stakeholders, designing a sequence of experiments to validate assumptions, running trials in small scopes, measuring outcomes, and adjusting the plan accordingly. Change Agents or Lean Change Agents often facilitate the process, guiding teams through cycles of learning and refinement before scaling.

Common artifacts include the Lean Change Canvas, change backlog, experiment templates, and dashboards for feedback. Lean Change Management is applied in IT transformations, product development teams, and broader organizational culture or process changes. It is valued for its practical, iterative stance but may be critiqued for relying on facilitator skill and organizational readiness for iterative learning. See also Lean Startup, Change Management, Agile.