My Change Toolkit: Current State Assessment – why a current state assessment is the secret weapon of change management

"You can’t improve what you don’t understand." – W. Edwards Deming

Before undertaking any change it is important to understand exactly where you stand. In change management, this starting point is called the current state assessment (CSA). It might not sound very forward thinking, yet it's one of the most powerful tools in the transformation toolbox. Without it, your change efforts risk being built on assumptions, not reality. I cant tell you how many organisations I have worked with where the leaders are quite apart from the realities of their frontline teams.

Harvard Professor emeritus Dr John Kotter in his seminal work Leading Change, argues that establishing a sense of urgency is the first step in driving transformation. But how do you know what to be urgent about if you don't first understand your current situation?

Current state assessment workshop

What is a Current State Assessment? 

A current state assessment is a structured process used to evaluate how an organisation currently operates. This includes examining its people, processes, systems, culture, and structures. It provides a comprehensive snapshot of your organisation's baseline before embarking on any change initiative. Mckinsey’s 7S framework is a great foundation for this assessment. A CSA ensures you:

• Prevent assumptions and guesswork from derailing your change initiative

• Identify root causes, not just symptoms

• Involve and engage employees early in the process

• Build a foundation for defining the future state

• Track and measure progress in meaningful ways

  
  

The ADKAR framework popularised across Australia by change management leader Prosci, is referenced in creator Jeff Haitt’s book ADKAR: A Model for Change: effective transformation relies on clearly understanding the current reality to guide awareness and desire for change.

Who Should Be Involved? 

The best assessments are inclusive of all individuals and teams impacted – including those on the peripherals. Consider involving representatives that capture:

• Leaders: For strategy, vision and historical context

• Frontline Employees: To surface friction points and real-world challenges

• HR/People & Culture: For insight into behaviours and skills

• IT or Systems Teams: To assess digital capabilities

• External Consultants: To provide unbiased observation and structure

Research from Amy Edmondson (The Fearless Organization, 2019) shows that psychological safety and diverse perspectives are critical to uncovering blind spots, which makes cross-functional input essential.

What Does a Good Assessment Include? And, how do I conduct a CSA?

A comprehensive CSA covers multiple lenses:

• People: Roles, capability, engagement, cultural norms

• Processes: How work gets done; formal and informal workflows

• Technology: Systems in use, functionality, gaps

• Structure: Governance, decision-making, hierarchy

• Data: KPIs, engagement results, turnover, customer feedback

Depending on the size of your organisation, resources, and culture, tools might include:

• Surveys (culture or change readiness)

• Focus groups and interviews

• Document reviews (org charts, performance data, etc.)

• Shadowing or observation

• SWOT and PESTLE analysis

• Value Stream Mapping (especially for operational or process-heavy functions)

Karen Cameron and Mike Green, in Making Sense of Change Management, recommend using a blended methodology to gather both quantitative and qualitative insights and build early engagement.

The challenge is that there is not one set way to get the best outcome, your organisation is a living organism – constantly changing and different to your competitor. Therefore, hiring a professional to read the room and plan tools for you may be the right strategy to gain good results.

If it’s your first time conducting an assessment, I suggest creating an document listing the questions you want to ask and the teams you need to connect with. The questions can be divided into "People", "Process", "Technology", and "Culture" for ease of alignment. You can find a sample question guide here.

Not all participants will process and think of all information “live”, therefore consider including core questions or an invitation for pre-participation before a workshop/interview and discuss live to better understand context and prompt other participants to acknowledge their similarities or differences. This will gather richer data and drive early ownership. A good CSA should leave you with:

• A well-documented snapshot of the organisation as it is

• A shared understanding of opportunities, gaps, and risks

• Clear hypotheses to test and explore in the future state design

• Confidence in your direction and the ability to bring others along

To summarise, before diving into a project, take time to pause, observe, and understand. A well-executed current state assessment is like taking the pulse of your organisation - it tells you what’s working, what’s broken, and what might be just about to crack. At Caterpillar Change, we help organisations large and small conduct meaningful, engaging, and practical assessments that lead to real momentum.