Implementation Success Criteria
Agree up front what "done right" looks and feels like — in how people work and lead, not just in the structure.
Aim
Implementation Success Criteria defines what success will look and feel like once the change has been implemented — not just in structure, but in how people work, lead, and experience the organization. This tool establishes shared qualitative indicators that help leaders and teams align around what they're working toward.
Results
- A shared picture of what "done right" looks like across teams and levels.
- Qualitative benchmarks that guide planning, engagement and measurement.
- Reinforcement of both operational and behavioural expectations tied to the change.
- Increased alignment across leadership on how success will be recognised.
Pro Tips
- Ground it in reality, not aspiration. Use language that reflects what leaders and teams will actually see, hear and experience when the change takes hold.
- Make it multi-dimensional. Include criteria across org design, individual adoption, and culture and leadership practices — don't focus only on structure.
- Pressure test with different audiences. Make sure the success criteria make sense to leaders, managers and employees alike.
- Use it as a reference point. Revisit the criteria during activation to evaluate progress, reinforce intent, and celebrate early wins.
How to use it
- Think about what's changing by reviewing the sides of the Organization Transformation Cube Model, the ANCHOR tool, and the Core Motivation tool.
- Describe the current state and how that will change.
- Use qualitative language to describe what it will look like when the change is implemented. The end state needs to take account of significant organizational changes (changes to organization choices and how the organization executes), individual transition (how the changes affect individual members), and culture and leadership practices (what is required from leaders and employees to support the changes).
- Determine the milestones by describing the main phases that will get the current state to the future state.