We have all heard the age-old adage – ‘communication is the most important aspect of managing a project’.

It has probably been said, in some form or another, at every kick-off meeting you have ever been to. People tend to get very excited about it and appear highly motivated to make it happen. You may have even seen an eager team member flash up a graph or two explaining the importance of good communication.

And then the project starts in earnest and communication somehow falls lower and lower down the list of ever-mounting priorities. People may bring it up once in a while in the odd meeting, but it’s usually a lot of talking about what we should be doing and actually doing very little about it.
Sound familiar?

It’s a very common occurrence in many digital transformation projects and unfortunately, it often has calamitous consequences that can cause serious setbacks.

Documented evidence within the workplace highlights that poor project communication can lead to:

• Ineffective project leadership
• Loss of Executive confidence
• Disengaged team members
• Reduced productivity
• Lowered morale
• Decrease in innovation
• Heightened turnover
• Bad atmosphere

This list is of course not exhaustive but highlights a few of the many impacts of poor communication.
A more tangible way of thinking about it is that it has a direct impact on the budget, time, and quality of deliverables.

In order to avoid all of the nightmarish outcomes above, it is crucial that transformation projects invest their resources in…

Appoint a dedicated Communications Manager

• This stakeholder should manage all project communication, status updates, launch initiatives, etc.
• They should also identify and connect all groups involved in the ERP or HCM implementation
• This manager should also be heavily involved in the Organizational Change Management Plan

Creating a robust Communications Strategy, Timeline and Action Plan

• What are the strategic goals around this project and when are the deadlines/deliverables that need to be met and produced?
• This should integrate with your change management plan to ensure all parties are aware and comfortable in moving forward

Stick to the plan, revisit it regularly

• Take regular progress assessments to stay on track
• Provide team recognition to help elevate any resistance, both intentional or unintentional
• Identify any project red flag through consistent risk assessments

It (largely) isn’t rocket science, but it does take time and effort in getting it right.

It is undoubtedly worth it and you’ll find you have many more happy and helpful stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of your project.

With the additional benefit of a heightened chance of successful project delivery, everyone’s a winner! If you have any questions or need support in developing a project communication plan, please reach out to us!