Updated October 14, 2026
A change champion needs a workable assignment: help colleagues practise an approved workflow, capture where they get stuck and bring problems to someone authorised to resolve them. Enthusiasm can help, but the role also needs time, support and clear boundaries.
This playbook proposes a first month for someone taking on that assignment. The wider AI rollout guide covers the adoption plan; this article focuses on the champion’s weekly work.
Agree the assignment before starting
Write a short role charter with the champion and their manager. Name the workflow, the colleagues covered, the time available and the person who can make operating decisions. Adjust other responsibilities to make the time allocation credible.
Record what the champion may demonstrate, where they can obtain help and when the assignment will be reviewed. The workflow owner should approve the instructions and practice material. The sponsor should resolve resource or policy questions that the champion cannot settle.
First week: rehearse the task
Work through an ordinary case and an exception with the workflow owner. Check the permitted inputs, required review and fallback procedure. Ask the champion to explain the steps back and identify anything that a colleague could reasonably misunderstand.
Prepare a concise demonstration followed by an exercise participants can complete themselves. Use approved material. Agree how a participant can ask for private help if the question involves sensitive information or an individual concern.
Next two weeks: practise and record obstacles
Run short sessions with the colleagues in scope. Let them attempt the task and describe where they hesitate. Avoid taking over the keyboard at the first difficulty; observe enough of the attempt to identify the specific problem.
Maintain a simple support log containing:
The task and the point where work stopped.
The consequence, such as extra checking or an unresolved exception.
The person responsible for a response and the next review date.
The agreed resolution and any guidance that needs changing.
Keep personal and confidential details out of a shared log. Send suspected security incidents or serious errors through the established reporting route immediately.
End of month: close the loop
Review the log with the owner and sponsor. Separate issues the champion can explain from changes requiring technical work, management decisions or additional training. Give each unresolved item a named owner and an agreed next step.
Update the job aid and tell participants what changed. Ask whether they can complete the task with the available guidance and support. Use that evidence to decide whether the assignment should continue, change scope or end.
Keep responsibility visible throughout. Champions support practice and communication; accountable owners still decide changes, access and operating limits. Review the time commitment as support demand becomes clearer.
