How to Create an Effective ERP Communication Plan: (Guide + Templates)
Learn the key building blocks to any ERP communication plan. Also, learn tips to support your entire ERP strategy.
A communication plan is a blueprint that outlines how you’ll share information with various stakeholders during the course of your ERP project.
Done right, communication plans ensure that everyone understands how ERP plans fit into the bigger picture. And — how those plans might impact them personally. They also support cultural alignment and transparency re: project goals, scope, and timelines.
In other words, communication plans are a pretty big deal when it comes to driving ERP success.
Below, we’ll outline the key building blocks to include in any ERP communication plan. We’ll also share tips and templates to help you create a comms plan that supports the entire ERP strategy.
Map Stakeholders & Build Profiles
An ERP communication plan is essential for keeping all stakeholders informed, engaged, and aligned around all ERP activities.
But, different stakeholders need different information depending on their role and responsibilities. They also need a clear understanding of how their role contributes to broader ERP goals.
To make sure that happens, you need to understand who’s involved, what they bring to this project, and what “success” looks like for each person.
From there, you can start building a communication plan based on what information each stakeholder needs at each stage in the process to achieve a specific outcome.
Creating a map of all stakeholders. This allows you to create a visual representation of the individuals involved in this project and their relationships to each other. There are a ton of different stakeholder mapping models out there.
You might start by using a mind-mapping tool to identify and categorize stakeholders – like this simple example from ClickUp. This mindmap organizes stakeholders into three main groups:
- Key stakeholders (people with a direct impact on the project)
- Primary stakeholders (people who are impacted by the project in some way)
- Secondary stakeholders (people indirectly impacted by the project).
Lines indicate stakeholder relationships, which helps paint a clear picture of who typically interacts with whom and in what capacity.
Now, this particular template is meant to serve as a jumping-off point. Per ClickUp, these color-coded rectangles serve as the foundation you’ll use to build fleshed out profiles of real end-users.
To do that, you might use something like the chart below to record details about individual roles, impact levels, and topics of interest, or whatever else you need to inform your messaging.
The template you use should reflect your organization, ERP plans, and big-picture goals. Keep in mind, different scenarios might also need different insights.
Say you’re designing a communication plan to support change management goals. In that case, identifying the most influential players in the org chart allows you to recruit the champions you need to see this thing through. So there, you might incorporate questions about money, power and influence into interviews and surveys.
If you’re working on a training-specific communication plan, you should audit your current training program first. That way, you can identify gaps, outdated content, and which assets are still working (or not) to support your goals.
Whatever your goal, profiles should provide the context you need to keep everyone informed, aligned, and on-board with the plan. You’re trying to gather enough information so that you can tailor your messaging and delivery methods around the needs of each audience.
Outline Your ERP Communication Plan
This Guru template is a good option for documenting communication goals, along with details re: audiences, communication methods, message frequency, and stakeholder responsibilities.
This will help you align communication objectives with project and org-wide goals, set clear and consistent expectations, monitor the impact of ERP comms against critical ERP metrics, and more.
Define Communication Goals
Once you’ve gathered enough intel on project stakeholders, you’ll want to define your communication goals. This will give you a foundation for building out your strategy and will help you stay focused on the right priorities.
A few questions you might ask yourself:
- What objectives are you pursuing with your ERP implementation? Consider the specific goals you might have for this project. For example, you’re putting together a communication plan for navigating ERP-related change. In that scenario, goals might include: getting stakeholder buy-in, overcoming resistance, or providing extra resources to help employees prepare for the big transition.
- What channels will you use to share that information? Communication plans should outline which channels and methods you’ll use to share updates about the project. Channels include everything from personal emails and company-wide newsletters to push notifications and in-app alerts, webinars and workshops to the company intranet.
With so many options, it can be hard to figure out which channels are best for getting your message to the right stakeholders. And — ensuring those stakeholders have everything they need to deliver the expected outcome.
- How often will you communicate with stakeholders? Settling into a steady cadence is an important part of any communication plan. Regular status updates help maintain transparency, build trust, and keep projects on track. They also bring a measure of predictability to the project – helping teams stay connected, informed, and accountable to their colleagues.
Figuring out how often to check in with stakeholders or share general updates with everyone in your org can be tricky. It’s hard to know where to draw the line between helpful and overbearing. Or – even what information stakeholders want to see and how often they want to see it.
- How will you address training & support? The communication plan should also include information about any training or support that employees will receive during the implementation process. Make sure everyone has access to the latest information about current project status, upcoming workshops, training resources, documentation, and access to peer support.
Align Messaging with Project Timelines
You’ll also want to include a timeline in your plan — not only for the project itself, but the methods, channels, and messaging you’ll use to communicate with stakeholders at various stages.
Here, you’ll want to outline key milestones and deadlines throughout the entire implementation. This helps set expectations and ensure everyone stays informed as the project progresses.
Project communication plans look a lot like plans for an external marketing or advertising campaign. The template below comes from the Microsoft Viva Topics adoption guide.
It’s not ERP-specific, but it does show you how to map communication strategies with project timelines – and slowly build trust and buy-in among stakeholders.
Teaser Campaign. For new initiatives, you’ll need to essentially “market” the project to stakeholders. First, you’re rolling out a “teaser campaign,” aimed at building awareness for an upcoming rollout. Here, the focus is on highlighting the benefits the new ERP brings to the organization – and individual users in key roles.
Executive Introduction Email. Closer to the launch date, stakeholders will receive direct communication from an executive sponsor – building on that initial awareness with a more personal message.
Buzz Events. “Buzz events” include hands-on training sessions, workshops, and other opportunities to demonstrate the value of your new solution. In an ERP context, you might host events for end-users to share feedback, test solutions, or share relevant knowledge with colleagues in other departments. They might also include vendor-led instruction or virtual Q&As.
Ongoing Communications. Ongoing communications help ensure that everyone stays on top of their deliverables and reinforce lessons from training/information sessions. Communication methods can include anything from newsletters and push notifications to MS Teams chats and public announcements on the company intranet homepage. Context matters a lot here.
If stakeholders are only tangentially involved, it’s better to share information through more passive channels. Think – company newsletters, social feeds. In some cases, it might make sense to CC them on important emails (i.e.: if the project is entering the next stage or they need to approve a decision).
If you’re communicating with team members working on time-sensitive deliverables, then it makes sense to use chat, email, and notifications to stay in touch. Still, you’ll need to make sure you’re not bombarding people with unnecessary information while they’re trying to work.
Establish Feedback Loops
Finally, a good communication plan enables two-way communication. This includes routine status updates, meetings, and check-ins, as well as an open-door policy that allows stakeholders to ask questions or raise concerns.
Orgs should also set up fast-moving feedback loops that capture and analyze end-user insights, then incorporate findings right back into the strategy.
Employees and stakeholders must be able to weigh in with questions, feedback, or valuable info. This improves user experiences, processes, and all-around performance during earlier ERP initiatives.
This feedback is critical for continuous improvement and addressing any issues ASAP. It also helps foster a culture of transparency and collaboration throughout the ERP implementation process.
Final Thoughts
Bottom line: you need a communication plan to support your ERP strategy.
Communication plans play a central role in ensuring a more focused and efficient transition to your new and improved ERP – with fewer disruptions along the way.