Unpacking Open Enrollment

The Art of the Debrief

Oct 16, 2023

You've closed the enrollment portal, sent the files, and double-checked the data. Open enrollment is done, right? As tempting as it is to move on to the next item on your agenda, now is the perfect time for a project debrief.

Like turning lead into gold, the lessons we learned in this project generate insights and actions to improve.

Your future self will thank you!

Why Treat Open Enrollment as a Project?

Open enrollment isn't routine; it's a project with unique challenges and opportunities each year. Its pivotal role in shaping employee experience and driving value for the organization makes it a cornerstone activity for Human Resources. Don't short-change it by hurriedly ticking it off your to-do list.

What is a Project Debrief?

A project debrief or post-mortem is a crucial tenet of project management. Derived from the practice of After Action Reviews in the US Army, project debriefs encourage a team to take time to assess a completed project.

As the authors of this HBR article state, "Lists look great on the wall. But an AAR's goal is to produce changes in team behavior. These changes require attitudinal shifts, positive emotions, and specific action items."1

With this in mind, keep these objectives at the forefront throughout your debrief process:

Encourage honest and open discussion.
Identify successes.
Acknowledge shortcomings.
Document the next steps.

Preparing for the Debrief

Your project debrief begins before the meeting as you gather essential information. Follow the steps below for crucial insights:

Surveys: Send out two surveys as soon as possible—one to your project team and one to benefits-eligible employees. Keep your questions consistent year-over-year to identify patterns and track improvement.
1. I use this template in my project debriefs: Link to Form
2. Examples of questions for an external survey: Link to Survey
Focus Groups: Reach out to key stakeholders outside HR. Their third-party perspective can provide insights you might have overlooked.
Schedule the Meeting(s): Time is of the essence. Aim to hold the debrief as soon after the close of enrollment as your data gathering will allow.
Why? Memory fades; you need to capture your team's rich, nuanced insights while they are fresh in their minds.

Who, What, and How of the Debrief

Participants

Include everyone from HR team members to IT support and even third-party vendors—the more comprehensive the input, the more actionable the insights.

Key Questions

Based on Doug Sundheim's approach2, here are the four questions every debrief must answer:

What were we trying to accomplish?
As you build this habit, this is a question you will ask before Open Enrollment so you can evaluate at the end.
Where did we hit (or miss) our objectives?
Objectives for open enrollment could be quantitative, like participation rates, number of errors, and satisfaction scores, or qualitative, based on team member's observations.
What caused our results?
As Sundheim states, "This is the root-cause analysis and should go deeper than obvious, first-level answers." If you didn't hit your participation rates, the answer is not, "Well, employees didn't read their emails." You need to ask hard questions about your communications' quality and quantity. These root cause problems should lead to action plans for the following year.
Codify Lessons Learned.
Document your action items, projects, and lessons learned for future reference. Use an Excel sheet, a SharePoint page, or any location the entire team can access.

Smartsheet has some great templates you can use in their tool or in Excel to capture these notes.3

Agenda

Consider the following flow for your debrief meeting:

Review Objectives: Open with a recap of your open enrollment project goals.
Data Analysis: Delve into quantitative metrics like enrollment rates and qualitative data like survey responses.
Process Audit: How effective were your communications? Was the follow-through adequate?
Tech Check: Did you encounter any HRIS glitches or data transmission errors that need addressing?
Closure: Recognize contributions and finalize action items. Action items and projects must be assigned dates and responsible parties to avoid falling by the wayside.

Final Thoughts

Open enrollment is your time to shine—a chance to interface with employees while reinforcing the strategic value of HR.

A well-executed, data-driven project debrief drives the performance improvements needed to make open enrollment an enjoyable experience for your employees and their families.

It is a critical skill in our toolkit and develops the mindset of strategic, employee-driven HR Tech magic!

Reader Questions

Send me your questions at timwhitley@hrtechwizard.com, and I will answer them in future posts.

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