4. Change Management

Change execution risk score (DICE)

Scoring change risk before launch

DICE was developed at Boston Consulting Group. Named here to identify the model. No affiliation or endorsement.

Use when

Deciding whether an initiative is set up to land, before money is spent

Change execution risk score (DICE), shown as a sequence of 4 parts: D: Duration, I: Integrity, C: Commitment ×2, E: Effort.
  1. 1

    D: Duration

    Time between milestone reviews. Under two months scores best; long gaps kill momentum.

  2. 2

    I: Integrity

    Capability of the delivery team and its leader. Named people, protected time.

  3. 3

    C: Commitment ×2

    Visible executive backing and genuine front-line buy-in. Both, separately scored.

  4. 4

    E: Effort

    Extra workload on top of the day job. Above 10 percent extra, risk climbs fast.

7–14 win zone. 14–17 worry. Over 17: woe zone, redesign before launching.

How to use it

Score each factor 1 (best) to 4 (worst), weight commitment as two items, and total. Built on 225 programs and applied to roughly 1,000. Use it as a gate, not a report card: a woe-zone score is an instruction to shorten review cycles, name a stronger owner, or cut scope before launch.

Card details

Model type
Sequence
Origin status
Established
Content last reviewed
28 July 2026

Origin

Established

Harold Sirkin, Perry Keenan and Alan Jackson, Boston Consulting Group, Harvard Business Review, 2005.

Neighbouring models

NextThe pre-mortem

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