ChangePlan’s Impact Heatmap visualises how intensely different parts of the organisation are affected by change over time.
It converts each impact into a numeric score and multiplies it by the number of sub-groups beneath the targeted org-chart group.
1. Impact Weighting
Each qualitative impact level maps to a configurable score.
(e.g., Low = 1, Medium = 5, High = 10).
These values represent the severity of the change.
2. How Sub-Groups Are Counted
When a group is marked as “affected,” ChangePlan counts:
- the group itself
- all of its sub-groups that contain people
Each of these is treated as one unit of impact spread.
Example:
If Corporate Finance has 50 sub-groups (including its own level), and it is tagged with a High impact:
Impact Score = High weight (10) × 50 sub-groups = 500
This score is then applied to Corporate Finance and rolled up into higher-level divisions.
3. Why Multiply by Number of Sub-Groups?
This approach gives a consistent, scalable proxy for the breadth and complexity of the change. It:
- Reflects that divisions with many sub-groups require more coordination and support.
- Works for organisations that haven’t uploaded individual person records, where headcount cannot be used reliably.
- Aligns with real practice: multi-layered areas are generally harder to change than flat ones.
- Avoids double-counting by scoring each sub-group exactly once per impact.
The goal is to compare relative intensity across the organisation, not to calculate precise effort or cost.
4. How Scores Roll Up Over Time
For each month/week/quarter, ChangePlan:
- Identifies impacts active in that period.
- Calculates the weighted score for each affected group.
- Sums all scores for that period.
- Rolls those scores upward through the org chart for an executive view.
5. Key Notes for Users
- This is a proxy model, intentionally simple and intuitive.
- Areas with more sub-groups will naturally show higher scores — this is expected.
- Impact weights (1/5/10 etc.) are fully configurable.
- Future enhancements may allow hybrid models using headcount when available.