Home | The P4E Change Model: How Real Change Happens in Real Projects

The P4E Change Model: How Real Change Happens in Real Projects

July 17, 2025
Blog
Project Delivery, Strategic Solutions, Training

Written By Arvin

In every project, there’s a moment, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, when you realise the technical solution is only half the battle.

The other half?

It’s how people understand it. Accept it. Use it. Own it.

That’s change.

And it rarely happens by accident.

At The Outlier Group, we’ve worked on projects across government, enterprise, and not-for-profit sectors. We’ve seen big initiatives delivered on time and on budget, only to unravel in the weeks after go-live. And we’ve seen modest projects stick, scale, and shift entire systems.

The difference often isn’t the strategy.

It’s how well the change was delivered.

That’s why we created the P4E Change Model, a flexible, people-first framework that helps project professionals embed change into delivery, not bolt it on at the end.

Why a New Model?

Most change management models were built for more stable environments. They assume a clean handover from delivery to adoption. A step-by-step rollout. A quiet path to buy-in.

That’s not how change looks today.

Modern projects are messy.

Stakeholders shift. Timelines compress.

Delivery and change are happening at the same time.

So we built a framework that reflects that reality.

What Is the P4E Change Model?

P4E stands for:

Position
Engage
Enable
Embed
Evolve

It’s a sensemaking model, not a rigid process.

It gives you a structured way to ask better questions, design change strategies that adapt, and lead work that actually lands.

1. Position: Understand the System You’re In

Before you engage stakeholders or design change plans, you need to understand the terrain.

Where is the organisation now?
What’s our history with change?
What’s already working and what’s getting in the way?

Positioning helps uncover the assumptions, dynamics, and tensions beneath the surface. You don’t start with action. You start with insight.

This phase helps senior leaders and PMOs clarify scope, identify constraints, and assess change readiness.

2. Engage: Create Genuine Ownership

We’ve all seen the stakeholder matrix. But real engagement isn’t about categorising, it’s about connecting.

Engage means co-design. Dialogue. Listening. It’s about building momentum and alignment through the process, not just announcing it at the end.

And it’s ongoing. Not a single meeting. Not a phase that finishes once comms are sent.

True engagement is a leadership mindset.

3. Enable: Make the Change Possible

Many change efforts fall short not because people resist, but because they’re not set up to succeed.

Enable focuses on what makes change stick:

Are the systems ready?
Are the teams trained?
Are people supported operationally?

This is where delivery meets adoption. You’re not just ticking off milestones. You’re making sure the organisation can actually operate in the new world.

4. Embed: Reinforce the New Normal

It’s easy to think of go-live as the finish line. But real change happens in the weeks and months after.

Embed asks:

What needs to be reinforced?
What habits or processes need to shift?
What support do people need after the implementation?

Without this step, projects fade. People revert. The shiny new process goes back in the drawer.

Embed is about culture. Reinforcement. Feedback. This is where change either takes root or slips away.

5. Evolve: Sustain and Adapt

The best change models don’t just help you launch.

They help you learn.

Evolve builds in reflection and iteration. It helps teams close the loop, measure adoption, and refine what’s been implemented.

This phase ensures change stays alive. That it continues to serve its purpose.

And that the organisation becomes more adaptable, long after the project is over.

Why It Works

What makes P4E different isn’t just its language.

It’s how naturally it fits into real delivery environments.

It’s designed for:

Project Managers trying to lead beyond the task list
Change Managers who need a more integrated, practical approach
PMO Leaders standardising change thinking across portfolios
Transformation Leads balancing strategy, pace, and people dynamics

And it works because it doesn’t assume perfect clarity or time.

It assumes things will shift, and gives you a way to move with them.

Who Is It For?

If you’ve ever said:

“We delivered the project… so why isn’t it sticking?”

“I wish we’d brought change in earlier…”

Then P4E was designed with you in mind.

It’s for professionals delivering work that matters and wanting to make sure it lands. It gives you a shared language, a repeatable structure, and a set of questions that work no matter what you’re delivering.

Learn the Model in Practice

We teach P4E in our Change-Driven Project Manager course a one-day, hands-on session designed for:

Mid to senior Project Managers
Business Analysts navigating people-driven initiatives
Change Leads need practical tools
PMO and Transformation Leaders building team-wide capability

You’ll leave with:

A clear understanding of P4E
Tools and templates to apply immediately
Confidence to lead change in dynamic delivery environments

Change Is Where Strategy Becomes Real

In 2025, change isn’t the soft stuff; it’s the hardest part of delivery. It’s where even the most well-planned projects can unravel. But with the right framework, change doesn’t have to feel ambiguous or out of reach. The P4E Change Model offers a practical way to lead change with clarity, purpose, and staying power, not just deliver it.