What is Change Impact Assessment?
A Change Impact Assessment measures how a specific workplace change (for example a fit-out, move, policy or hybrid working rollout) affects people, space use and workplace outcomes. It compares pre-change and post-change evidence to identify benefits, drawbacks and actions required.
A Change Impact Assessment is a structured process that evaluates the effects of a workplace change on employees and how space is used. It typically includes defining clear objectives, capturing a baseline before the change, collecting follow-up data (surveys, occupancy data, qualitative feedback), analysing differences by team or location, and reporting findings with recommended actions. The assessment can cover experience measures (satisfaction, wellbeing, productivity), behavioural indicators (space utilisation, booking patterns), and service impacts (facilities, maintenance). It often combines quantitative trend analysis with open-text feedback to explain what changed and why.
Usage example
Before relocating a department to a redesigned floor, the workplace team ran a baseline survey using AccordoSurveys’ post-occupancy template, captured desk and meeting-room utilisation for two weeks, then repeated the survey three months after move-in. The Change Impact Assessment showed improved collaboration scores but a decline in ‘ability to focus’ for one team, prompting targeted quiet-zone adjustments and changes to the desk-booking layout.
Practical application
Change Impact Assessments turn assumptions about workplace interventions into evidence. They help teams and consultants validate whether a design, policy or investment delivered the intended benefits, uncover unintended negative consequences, prioritise fixes, and build a case for further investment. Regularly applying this approach reduces risk when scaling changes across locations, supports stakeholder buy-in by demonstrating measurable outcomes, and improves future decision-making by highlighting what actually works for different teams and contexts.
FAQ
When should we run a Change Impact Assessment?
Plan for a baseline measurement before the change, then run follow-ups at defined intervals (for example 1–3 months and 6–12 months after). The timing depends on the change type: behaviour-driven changes may need longer to stabilise, while immediate environmental changes (lighting, furniture) can be assessed sooner.
What data should we collect for a robust assessment?
Use a mix: quantitative survey measures (satisfaction, productivity, wellbeing), operational metrics (space utilisation, booking data, attendance), and qualitative feedback (open-text responses or focus groups). Combining sources helps explain why metrics changed and who is most affected.
How do we ensure the results are representative and reliable?
Drive participation with clear communication and convenient distribution (email, Slack, Teams), set realistic sample-size targets, and segment responses by team, location and role. Note that results depend on response rates and survey design, so pair findings with usage data and follow-up qualitative checks where possible.
Can we benchmark change impact against other projects or industry data?
Yes—when you use consistent questions and compatible historical data, you can benchmark against your organisation’s prior projects or available external datasets. Benchmark availability depends on having comparable measures and sufficient sample sizes; not every question will have an eligible comparison.