Qualitative and quantitative experiment guide for lean change management

Executive Summary

AGIL3 Enterprise Coaching & Value Stream Solutions, LLC

In today’s dynamic, interdependent organizations, change cannot be managed effectively through static models or prescriptive solutions alone. Instead, change must be treated as a testable, empirical, and co-created process. This white paper provides a comprehensive, scenario-based experimental approach grounded in Jason Little’s Lean Change Management framework.

Blending qualitative inquiry and quantitative experimentation, this guide equips change leaders to design, test, and iterate using practical tools such as A/B testing, grounded theory development, scenario-based interviews, and advanced survey techniques. It integrates empirical frameworks like Scrum’s Evidence-Based Management (EBM)and the AMPLIO Framework, while also drawing connections to major change certifications, including those from Prosci, APMG, ACMP, and the Change Management Institute (CMI).

Central to the guide is a toolkit of 202 field-ready experiments—101 for interviews and 101 for surveys—organized by method and aligned with lean techniques (e.g., 5S, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, 8D, 5 Whys, and Jobs-to-Be-Done). Each experiment includes a ready-to-use hypothesis based on the Lean Change format, with guidance on variables, metrics, and suggested analysis tools (SPSS, NVivo, R, Power BI, etc.).

The white paper is supported by extensive appendices, including:

• A workbook of guided reflections and journal prompts
• A Planguage appendix for operationalizing definitions and impact metrics
• Ten grounded case study stories based on synthetic data
• Practical guides for enhancing internal and external validity

Together, these components form a complete experimental design and coaching toolkit for adaptive, participatory, and evidence-driven change.

Table of Contents

I. Foundations

1. Introduction to Scenario-Based Experimentation in Lean Change
2. Lean Change Management Foundations and Theoretical Integration
3. Crosswalk: Lean Change, Scrum EBM, AMPLIO, Prosci, APMG, ACMP, and CMI

II. Qualitative Techniques for Change Hypothesis Generation

4. Qualitative Methods in Lean Change Interview Experiments
5. Designing Story-Based and Persona-Centric Interview Experiments
6. Role Play, Metaphor, and Conflict Scenario Testing
7. Feedback Loops, Lean Coffee, and Reflection Dialogues
8. From Conversation to Hypothesis: Grounded Theory in Action

III. Quantitative Approaches and Mixed Methods

9. Survey Design with A/B Testing and Framing Effects
10. Advanced Techniques: List Experiments, Conjoint Analysis, and Implicit Association
11. Mixed Methods Integration: Interviews, Surveys, and Hypothesis Validation

IV. Experimentation and Operationalization

12. Lean Tools for Experiment Design: 5S, 5 Whys, Pareto, Value Stream Mapping, 8D, JTBD, and WIP Limits
13. Appendix of 202 Experiments: 101 Interview Designs and 101 Survey Designs
14. Hypothesis Writing Toolkit: Lean Change Format, Variables, and Metrics
15. Planguage for Change: Operationalizing Definitions and Creating Impact Estimation Tables

V. Application and Practice

16. Implementation Guidelines and Ethical Considerations
17. Enhancing Internal Validity Outside the Lab
18. Improving External Validity with Small Samples
19. Experimental Idea Generator: What to Try When You’re Stuck
20. Ten Fictitious Case Studies Using Lean Change Principles
21. Research Notes from Case Studies: Methods, Findings, and Implications

VI. Interactive Tools and Workbooks

22. Daily Practice Workbook: Discussion Questions, Activities, and Journal Prompts by Chapter
23. Workshop and Coaching Integration Guide
24. 101 AI Prompts and suggested Prompt Chains