In this series, we have covered content migration, planning and verification. In this blog, we will focus on the importance of communication.
Effective and efficient communication is another critical part of a successful migration. Everybody impacted by the migration needs to be kept up to date to ensure that you not only achieve actual success but, just as importantly, enjoy perceived success. What I mean by perceived success is that ideally, you should come away from migration with the business teams singing your praises about their experience of the process and you.
Below are some tips to help with your migration communications:
- Create a communications strategy – Ensure you have a communications strategy, so you know exactly how, when and what is going to be said to whom. This should include your normal/ideal path through a migration but also how you are going to deal with issues that will inevitably come up during a migration. The more you have thought about this outside the pressure of a live situation the better. So, in my view, a strategy isn’t nice to have; I think it is a must.
- Include communications specialists within your project team – Please don’t assume technical people will be your best choice for communications. While some might be, I’d recommend having one or more people who specialise in communications or engagement to ensure your project is presented in the best possible light and that they know how to deal with people when they are at their best and worst.
- Consider the role the business leadership team should play – I’d suggest having business people who lead their colleagues through all aspects of the migration. They should be your main point of contact and your sounding board for wider communications. Depending on your circumstances, they may also be better placed to send the communications on your behalf, but if you do this, please ensure that you are copied in. After all, it is your migration, and you need to keep on top of what is happening.
- Communicate frequently. At all levels – This is obvious I know, but I think it’s still worth saying: Communicate frequently and at all levels. Also, invite your business leaders to re-iterate your messages. Having somebody’s boss say something can be much more attention grabbing than a message from somebody they don’t really know.
- Bring the business with you – Right from the start, encourage the business, particularly the leadership team, to work with you. Use your communications to inform and build trust. The more they recognise the benefits, the more the business will embrace this opportunity, and view the migration as something that they will benefit from, as opposed to something that is being imposed on them for some, unfathomable reason.
- Don’t hide issues – Be open and honest. If there are technical deficiencies, such as broken links, be open about them and offer mitigation advice. If the business team’s actions or inaction are causing a problem, let them know. Just ensure your tone is right and your messages are success/outcome-oriented.
- Be present – Communication is not just about sending messages and writing intranet posts. So please get out to see and speak to as many people as possible. Also, don’t be shy about offering your services at their team get-togethers or their senior leadership meetings. The more you build those relationships and strive to be helpful, the more likely they are to do the same for you.
- Don’t assume. Check – Don’t assume the communications will have been noticed or acted on. People have busy working lives, have conflicting priorities, may have been away when you sent something, or may not have understood and been too “scared” to ask. So please don’t assume people are doing what you ask. It’s important to watch what they are doing to see if it matches your expectations.
Next up: Collaboration – Why collaboration is an important part of any content migration process, and how to collaborate effectively.
If you have a question for Chris or the Triad team, please get in touch.
