Change Impacts Heatmap Report
The Change Impacts Heatmap Report provides a visual summary of how various initiatives impact different parts of the organization over time. It helps change managers, executives, and project teams to track, manage, and mitigate change saturation risks across initiatives.
Accessing the Report
To view the Change Impacts Heatmap:
- Navigate to All Initiatives View
- Go to Reports
- Select Change Impacts
Understanding the Heatmap
- Columns → Show initiatives and their go-live dates.
- Rows → Represent organizational divisions, business units, or locations (based on the selected org chart tier).
- Cells → Display impact data, showing the number and severity of change impacts.
How to Use It
✔ Identify high-impact areas → Hover over a cell to see high, medium, and low impacts.
✔ Drill down into details → Click on a cell for a breakdown of specific changes affecting that group.
✔ Assess change saturation → Spot teams or departments managing multiple initiatives at once.
✔ Customize your view → Use filters to focus on key data (explained below).
Heatmap Customization Options
Use filters to refine your report based on the information you need.
Option | What It Does |
Custom Groups | Displays stakeholder groups instead of the default org chart. |
Show Only Time Periods with Impacts | Hides empty months/weeks, showing only relevant impacts. |
Show Only Impacted Groups | Removes groups with no reported change impacts for a cleaner view. |
Aggregate Impacts (Checked) | Combines all initiatives in a single timeframe column (hides initiative names). |
Aggregate Impacts (Unchecked) | Displays each initiative separately in its timeframe. |
Show Initiative Names | Displays initiative names inside impact cells. |
Show Activity Burden Hours | Adds time away from work data for each impacted group. |
Tips for Using Filters Efficiently
✔ For a high-level view → Enable Aggregate Impacts to spot change saturation.
✔ For detailed tracking → Disable Aggregate Impacts and enable Show Initiative Names.
✔ For executive reports → Use Show Only Time Periods with Impacts and Show Only Impacted Groups to highlight key areas.
How ChangePlan Assigns Heatmap Colors
ChangePlan uses Red, Amber, and Green (RAG system) to indicate the severity of impacts:
- 🔴 Red = High impact
- 🟠 Amber = Medium impact
- 🟢 Green = Low impact
Each heatmap cell may contain multiple impacts of different levels. The system determines the final color using the dominance rule.
How the Dominance Rule Works
The system looks at all the impact levels (High, Medium, Low) within a cell and applies the following logic:
1️⃣ If one impact level makes up at least 33% (one-third) of the total impacts, the cell takes that color.
2️⃣ If no single level reaches 33%, the system defaults to the highest impact present in the cell.
Examples of How Colors Are Determined
Impact Levels in a Cell | Total Impacts | Calculation | Final Color |
1 High + 2 Medium | 3 | High (33%) → Meets threshold | 🔴 High |
1 Medium + 2 Low | 3 | Medium (33%) → Meets threshold | 🟠 Medium |
1 Medium + 3 Low | 4 | Low (75%) dominates | 🟢 Low |
2 High + 2 Medium + 1 Low | 5 | High (40%) is the strongest | 🔴 High |
1 High + 1 Medium + 1 Low | 3 | No level reaches 33%, default to highest | 🔴 High |
0 High + 3 Medium + 2 Low | 5 | Medium (60%) dominates | 🟠 Medium |
Why This Rule?
- Ensures major impacts aren’t overshadowed by minor ones.
- Helps identify critical areas requiring attention.
- Provides a clear and fair way to assess change saturation.
📌 Key Takeaway:
If an impact level is strong enough (at least one-third of total impacts), it determines the color. Otherwise, the highest impact level present sets the color.
Best Practices for Using the Change Impacts Heatmap
Strategic Planning
✅ Spot teams handling too many changes at once.
✅ Decide whether to stagger go-live dates to prevent overload.
Stakeholder Communication
✅ Share reports with executives to highlight where support is needed.
✅ Use the heatmap in team meetings to align change efforts across projects.
Managing Change Saturation
✅ Proactively adjust workloads in heavily impacted areas.
✅ Ensure training and communications are well-timed for affected teams.
Exporting & Sharing the Report
📌 Export the heatmap as an image for reports and presentations.
📌 PowerPoint export support is coming soon!
Want to learn more?
This report helps you anticipate change challenges, avoid overload, and ensure smooth transitions across multiple initiatives. 🚀
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