Change Management for one of the nation's largest public school system's major ERP implementation

The Problem

A large urban public sector organization launched a district-wide initiative to modernize its Finance, Procurement, HR, and Payroll systems. The effort required not only technical implementation but also widespread employee awareness, understanding, and participation across diverse roles—school clerks, grant managers, principals, and central office staff. However, communication about the program was inconsistent, and many employees lacked visibility into how the changes would affect them. With limited bandwidth internally, the organization needed a dedicated partner to build and execute a clear, human-centered communication strategy to drive adoption and reduce resistance.

The Approach

Our team embedded within the change management workstream to lead all facets of communication planning and execution.

We began by assessing current communication channels, employee feedback loops, and stakeholder readiness. We then collaborated with internal leaders and external implementation partners to design a multi-layered approach that translated technical updates into accessible, action-oriented content.

Our communications strategy included:

• Launching a branded monthly newsletter, reaching over 40,000 employees

• Developing a web hub for on-demand access to updates, resources, and FAQs

• Producing employee toolkits, talking points, and training invites for site-based leaders

• Creating readiness surveys to capture sentiment and adjust tactics in real-time

• Showcasing employee stories to highlight early engagement and success

• Supporting executive leadership with consistent messaging for town halls and email campaigns

Value Delivered

Through this structured, strategic approach, we transformed a high-complexity initiative into a clearly understood, human-centered story of progress and opportunity.

Project successes include:

• Reached tens of thousands of employees across schools and central departments

• Built a trusted brand identity for the transformation initiative

• Increased employee awareness, engagement, and ownership during critical phases

• Fostered alignment between leadership, union representatives, and site-based teams

• Established a replicable communication model for future district initiatives

These results reflect our belief that change doesn’t stick without clarity, connection, and care. We’re proud to have played a key role in building that foundation—together.