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Change Guides
Change Management Certification
Real Change. Real Results.
Change isn't a project. It's the environment.
You’re juggling shifting priorities, unclear expectations, and pressure to show results—without a clear roadmap for how to get people on board. And without a structured approach to change, even great projects lose traction, teams disengage, and momentum fades.
To lead real, lasting transformation, you need more than good intentions. You need a proven process, adaptable tools, and the confidence to guide people through the messy middle of change—when uncertainty is high, and alignment is critical.
The Change Guides Change Management Certification equips you with 31 field-tested tools, strategies, and a step-by-step structure that integrates with PMP workflows and aligns to the ACMP Standard for Change Management. You’ll gain hands-on experience applying these tools across the six key stages of change:
- Plan – Assess Needs & Develop Plan
- Do – Launch Communications & Transition Work
- Sustain – Align Structures & Optimize Results
You’ll also explore the foundational concepts in The Eight Constants of Change, building a practical understanding of what makes transformation successful.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:
- Apply the Waterfall Change Management toolkit and the Plan, Do, Sustain model to your current Waterfall projects.
- Utilize the Waterfall Change Management toolkit to proactively prevent the issues that stall changes.
- Lead transformational change in ways that build psychological safety, keep teams energized and create a positive resilient culture.
- Create strategic and trusted partnerships with cross-functional partners.
Upon completion, you’ll earn 24 units that can be applied toward your ACMP Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP) or toward your Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recertification. You will also be recognized as a Certified Change Guides Practitioner.
Change is smoother when you're not leading it alone. Bring a partner and save $200 each.
To access the promo, adjust quantities in your cart to 2. Add the name and email of your partner in “special instructions for seller” and apply the code Save200x2F2025 at checkout.
What Makes This Certification Different?
Trusted and Built to Complement
Stress-tested methodology in fast-paced, complex organizations, and designed to integrate seamlessly with PMP workflows, making it easy to embed.
Change Leadership,
not just Change Management
Move beyond process to people—develop the trust, influence, and alignment needed to lead real, lasting change.
Ready-to-Go People-First Toolkit
Built with team health in mind, our toolkit helps you lead transformation at a steady, sustainable pace—minimizing burnout and maximizing results.
The Change Guides Change Management Certification is approved as an Association of Change Management Professionals Qualified Education Provider™ (QEP™) and as a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Recertification Provider. Upon completion, you’ll earn 24 units that can be applied toward your ACMP Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP) or toward your Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recertification.
You're ready for this certification if:
- You’ve been asked to lead a major change or are leading a major change using a Waterfall project management approach.
- You’re a functional or technical expert who must now guide people, not just projects.
- You’ve seen good ideas fizzle due to lack of adoption—and want to be the leader who makes them stick.
- You’re looking to differentiate your skills by gaining expertise in an area of growing need.
- You believe transformation should be people-first, strategic, and sustainable—not chaotic.
- You have achieved certification in Managing Change in An Agile World and now want to be certified in waterfall change.
The Learning Experience
This is not a lecture. It’s a collaborative, action-driven, cohort-based journey, featuring:
- Live Workshops: Over three days, join experienced change facilitators for interactive discussions, real-world scenario exercises, and active group reflections.
- Breakout Sessions & Small-Group Coaching: Practice using the toolkit on iterative change scenarios and get immediate feedback on your approach.
- Peer Learning Network: Exchange ideas with fellow professionals, fostering shared insights and building a reliable support network for future projects.
- Actionable Feedback: Gain immediate input on your approach to stakeholder alignment, rollouts, and sustaining adoption—ensuring you leave equipped to pivot and adapt after the course is over.
Secure Your Spot
Don’t let another change initiative stall out. Step forward with the strategy, credibility, and tools to lead sustainable, people-first transformation.
Course Schedule
Before the Course
Prework
- Log into the course portal and complete your “Getting Started” prep
- Define a current or past agile initiative or experience where the pace of change shaped your approach
Day 1
Fundamentals of Change Management
- Lecture: Introduction to Change Management
- Small Group Discussion: Managing resistance
- Lecture: The Eight Constants of Change
- Lecture: Introduction to the Change Management 101 model (with large group discussion throughout)
- Lecture: Plan Phase – Assess Needs
Day 2
Do – Launch Communications & Transition Work
- Small Group Applied Practice: People Impact Assessment, SWOT Analysis, Change Management Effort Assessment
- Lecture: Plan Phase – Develop Plan
- Small Group Applied Practice: Communication Plan HR Case Study
- Lecture: The Do Phase – Launch Communications
- Small Group Applied Practice: Level 2 Messages
- Large Group Discussion: Communications Tactics
- Lecture: The Do Phase – Transition Work
Day 3
Sustain – Align Structures & Optimize Results
- Lecture: The Do Phase – Transition Work
- Individual Applied Practice: Workforce Transition Plan
- Lecture: The Sustain Phase – Align Structures
Small Group Applied - Practice: Roles and Responsibilities
- Lecture: The Sustain Phase – Optimize Results
- Large Group Discussion: Post Implementation Questionnaire & Lessons Learned
- Small Group Applied Practice: The Do Phase – Transition Work
After the Course
Upon Course Completion You’ll receive:
Certification Requirements
- Your Certification: The Change Management Certification.
- Comprehensive Digital Toolkit: Excel and Word templates for Plan, Do, Action, Sustain (PDAS) framework, stakeholder mapping, communications, and measurement.
- Practitioner Handbook: Electronic guide detailing how to adapt change tactics in agile or iterative environments.
- Community Access: Invitation to extend the conversation beyond certification through premier access to the Change Guides Certified Professionals LinkedIn group.
Upon completion, you’ll earn the Change Management Certification Certificate and 24 PDUs that fulfill the QEP section of your CCMP license.
- Attend and participate: Fully participate in both live day sessions including breakout activities and group discussions.
- Pass the exam: Take the course exam within 30 days of completing the course. Earn 90%+ on the open book exam. Retakes are allowed if needed. (Our aim is rigor, not gatekeeping.)
- Submit three tool applications for review: Within 30 days, demonstrate real-world application of the methods.
Your Instructors
Andrea Ficarelli| Senior Change Consultant
Andrea specializes in creating impactful, people-centered experiences through storytelling, strategic consulting, and change management. With over a decade of experience, she translates complex organizational changes into simplified, engaging experiences that drive adoption and tangible results. Andrea thrives in guiding teams seamlessly from project conception to execution, emphasizing clarity and usability throughout the change journey.
Since joining TiER1, Andrea has successfully partnered with clients across diverse industries—including pharmaceuticals, aviation, consumer packaged goods, and manufacturing—to lead transformative initiatives such as systems adoption, cultural transformation, organizational design, and learning strategy development. Her expertise includes cultivating organizational effectiveness, developing robust change capabilities, and designing compelling learning experiences tailored to drive lasting behavioral change. Andrea earned her Master’s degree in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Loyola University.
Kelly Kinnavy| Principal Consultant, Strategic Change, TiER1 Performance
Kelly Kinnavy is a Principal at TiER1 Performance with deep expertise in leading strategic change and organizational transformation. She brings more than two decades of experience helping organizations navigate complex change initiatives, particularly in enterprise technology implementations and talent management.
Before joining TiER1, Kelly spent over a decade at W.W. Grainger as a Senior Manager of Change Management, where she directed large-scale organizational change efforts including a global SAP rollout and the design of integrated talent strategies. Earlier in her career, she spent 13 years at Accenture supporting higher education and government clients in change management, performance support, and user adoption.
At TiER1, Kelly partners with clients to align people, processes, and technology to achieve sustainable business outcomes through human-centered change strategies.
What Our Learners Say
“I think every change person should have [the pocket guide] because it’s full of templates and it’s good to flip through when you’re starting a project.”
Change Management Certified Professional
“The whole experience was terrific… the cohort I was with was fantastic, and they were offering lots of great ideas.”
Change Management Certified Professional
“I’ve been raving about it… to all our people in leadership positions. Department chairs, division directors, assistant head of school—anybody trying to roll out programs.”
Change Management Certified Professional
Explore More Resources
For more information about the content that will be covered and what to expect throughout the course, download our course syllabus.
Curious about becoming a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) through the Association of Change Management (ACMP)? Download this journey map to learn more.
FAQ
Q: How can you help me get traction on my change initiative?
A: Our Change Management 101 Model has been rigorously tested across sprints, iterative releases, partial rollouts, and complex transformations. We’ve empowered 1,000+ Change Guides certified professionals across industries to deliver people-centered, sustainable transformation.
Q: I’m super busy. How many hours will I need to invest? What’s the estimated course hours and assignment time?
A: Our Change Management 101 Model and 31 accompanying tools have been stress-tested in fast-paced, complex organizational transformations—and they deliver. Over 1,000 certified practitioners have used our approach to lead change in diverse environments—earning trust, building clarity, and driving progress that sticks.