Hiding the truth, failing to plan and any combination of these other goofs will boost the odds of failure.

By Dan Pecchia

The pace of corporate reorganizations enabled by major technology changes is not likely to slow down because the rewards for such initiatives are enormous.

Yet the risks involved in these multi-year projects are high, too. Beyond the tremendous costs of new software solutions, equipment and people to deploy them, such projects bring stress that can threaten otherwise healthy employee relations — if not company culture.

One way to elevate the risks of such projects is to surround them with lousy communication.

Here are six communications fails that can threaten even the most promising business transformation projects.

1. Hiding or sugar-coating the truth

The prospect of staff reductions or job changes is always difficult to communicate, but working toward that and not communicating it is far worse. Credibility is critical for projects like these, and one way to undermine them early, and perhaps permanently, is to circulate vague information that doesn’t address the obvious.

Good communication includes conveying that an organization that automates more functions, eliminates duplicate work and aligns resources more effectively will be stronger, more competitive and more secure. It also includes raising the likelihood that the company may need fewer people.

2. Not having a communications plan

Some communications can be developed quickly, but others take weeks to plan and execute properly. So a project that brings major organizational change needs an agreed-on plan and timetable for the communications deliverables and an effective team to manage their development, approval and deployment.

Ideally, the plan is managed by those who know what the issues are in projects like these and have experience in addressing them. Without a well-managed plan, communications can appear dis-integrated, which ironically is the exact thing many technology rollouts are designed to eliminate.

3. Not positioning management as owners of big change

Project teams and leaders often draw huge visibility because some tech-enabled changes, especially rollouts of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, can be among the biggest developments in company history. And while the spotlight can help, it can also create the mistaken impression that the project team is “doing this to” the company.

The truth is that management owns and advocates the big changes and is depending on the project team to get them done. When the CEO, CFO and other senior leaders are positioned as owners of the project, it has more credibility.

4. Not establishing a project brand

Part of a good communications plan is a set of agreed-on messages and descriptions that are used consistently to describe the project or, more properly, its destination. When this information is conveyed with a proper logo and standard look across all materials, the project can build and sustain an identity.

Customizations can be OK in some situations, but rogue alterations can start an avalanche of inconsistent communication and should be discouraged. Projects of this magnitude need to be conveyed consistently.

5. Not leveraging natural phases of a project

People move through change in distinct phases. Communications should support that reality with messages that guide audiences from awareness to desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement.

6. Not insisting on feedback and metrics

Although engagement and adoption are hard to track, some elements of it can and should be measured. Important metrics can be built from survey responses, log-ins, attendance at meetings, email opens, hyperlink clicks and other conversion activities, and the timeliness and reach of communications deliverables can certainly be tracked. Consistent monitoring and reporting on metrics can help shape the nature and frequency of future communication.

Even with the best planning and execution, big tech-enabled projects can bring frustration to company employees at all levels, and often to suppliers, customers and others.

But well-managed communication can place these projects and their many components – including the unpleasant ones — in a valuable context that supports success.

Dan Pecchia is a change management consultant who has spearheaded communications programs for six large ERP projects. 

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