change-readiness-assessment

name	change-readiness-assessment
description	This skill should be used when the user asks "are we ready for go-live," "assess change readiness," "what is the binding constraint on adoption," or needs a structured readiness scorecard before sponsor or steering decisions.
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob
metadata	{"version":"0.3.0","owner":"change-management practice","review_cadence":"quarterly","work_shape":"hypothesis-driven-analysis","permission_tier":"advisory","output_class":"draft-for-review","sourcing_policy":"volatile-facts-must-be-sourced"}

Change Readiness Assessment

When to use

Assess people-side readiness across practice-defined dimensions; identify the binding constraint blocking adoption — not an average score.

What this skill does not do

• Does not map stakeholders — route to /change-management:stakeholder-impact-map if segments are missing.
• Does not certify go-live — outputs are for human sign-off per practice profile gates.
• Does not invent adoption metrics — no fabricated survey scores or sentiment percentages.

Preconditions

Input	If missing
Initiative context and timeline	Ask scope and target go-live
Stakeholder impact map (recommended)	Assess at highest level available; flag gap
Practice profile readiness dimensions	Use default set; [PROVISIONAL]

Provisional mode

Without stakeholder map: assess program-level readiness only; flag [review] on segment-specific claims.

Trust spine

• Confidence bands (hypothesis-driven-analysis):
  • High: Dimensions scored with cited evidence; binding constraint named with mechanism.
  • Medium: Some dimensions self-reported or single-source; constraint hypothesized.
  • Low: Scope or timeline unstated — halt or score scaffold only.
• Failure modes:
  • Analytical rigor: Separate "willing" from "able"; don't conflate sponsor agreement with frontline readiness.
  • Client confidentiality: Readiness politics sensitive — CONFIDENTIAL header when material.

Workflow

1. Read practice profile — readiness dimensions, RAG definitions, past change history notes.

2. Score each dimension (from profile or defaults: leadership alignment, sponsor visibility, past change fatigue, capacity, skills/training, culture fit, resistance plan in place):

   • Evidence — what supports the score (named artifact, interview, observation — not vibes).
   • RAG — per profile definitions or Red/Amber/Green with explicit criteria.
   • Gap — what would need to be true to move one notch.

3. Run the willing-vs-able test on the lowest-scoring frontline-facing dimension — leadership often scores Amber on alignment while frontline scores Red on ability; the binding constraint is usually the latter.

4. Identify binding constraint — single dimension whose failure would block adoption even if others pass; explain the mechanism (e.g. training incomplete → revert to old process under pressure).

5. Recommend response type — sponsor, comms, training, structural, or timing — without picking a single mandated action; link to downstream skills.

Output format

INITIATIVE: [name]
TARGET GO-LIVE: [date or window]
OVERALL PEOPLE READINESS RAG: [R/B/G] — [one-line rationale]

DIMENSION: [name]
  RAG: [R/B/G]
  Evidence: [source-tagged]
  Gap to next level: [specific]
  Willing vs able: [willing | able | both at risk — note]

BINDING CONSTRAINT: [dimension] — [mechanism]
RECOMMENDED RESPONSE TYPES: [sponsor | comms | training | structural | defer — options, not mandate]

UNSCORED / NEEDS EVIDENCE: [list, or "none"]

Worked example

Input: Go-live in 3 weeks, leadership "aligned," no training delivered to call-center agents.

Expected output: Binding constraint = skills/training (able, not willing); overall Red; defer or narrow scope flagged [review].

Quality checks before delivering

• Every dimension has evidence or explicit gap
• Binding constraint named with mechanism
• No invented adoption statistics

Propose profile update

When a stable convention surfaces during this run (thresholds, naming, tone, output format, or recurring corrections), propose a profile update: show the exact diff against ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-strategy/change-management/CLAUDE.md (org-wide facts go to org-profile.md), ask for confirmation, and write only on yes. Only /change-management:practice-setup auto-applies a full profile write.

Outputs

Follows plugin CLAUDE.md § Outputs. Next: sponsor-roadmap or resistance-diagnosis.