Use This Open Enrollment Project Plan for the Best Results

Having the right open enrollment project plan can make all the difference.

According to one isolved study, open enrollment is considered moderately or extremely stressful for 61% of employees. 

In this guide, we will walk you through steps to put together a comprehensive open enrollment implementation plan. And we’ll include an HR open enrollment checklist to ensure you’re fully prepared for the upcoming season.

How to create an open enrollment project plan

Your open enrollment project plan is the roadmap to success. At Healthee, we recommend using a project management tool such as Monday, Asana, or Airtable and adding essential stakeholders to the PE project board for transparency and to facilitate collaboration and accountability.

Here are the steps you will need to implement open enrollment successfully. All of these steps are essential; however, the order in which you do them will depend on your company’s requirements. For example, if you plan to implement a new open enrollment software this year, that may be the first step in your plan.

1. Compile your data

The first step in designing an open enrollment project plan is to review all the data relevant to OE. This means checking the data from:

• Previous years’ open enrollment surveys
• Employee benefits survey questions
• Your benefits software related to employee usage

Examples of data to consider include: 

• Employee participation rates
• Plan selection trends
• Costs associated with the previous year’s open enrollment
• Plan satisfaction

Examining this data will help you identify areas where last year’s open enrollment excelled and opportunities for improvement.

2. Define your goals for open enrollment implementation

After knowing your “starting point” based on the previous year’s data, set clear goals for your upcoming open enrollment project plan. Make sure you create a specific goal relative to your previous year’s performance.

For example, you might want to aim for a “10% increase in overall enrollment participation compared to the previous year.” Of course, you will need to define the KPIs to measure this. 

3. Develop an open enrollment project timeline and assign responsibilities

The next step in designing an open enrollment project plan is to identify how you will achieve that goal. We do that by creating a project timeline. 

To start, list out the “main tasks” for the enrollment season. The main tasks are like milestones that you can break down into subtasks. The subsequent steps can be your main task, such as:

• Updating your benefits offers
• Preparing your benefits documents
• Launching your first campaign

Our team of experts at Healthee recommend you work backward from the enrollment deadline. This will help you ensure you don’t miss any critical deadlines.

For example, “Campaign number one should be launched four weeks before the first day of open enrollment,” and so on. 

Break down the main open enrollment tasks into smaller tasks and set deadlines for each key deliverable. Following the previous example, for the campaign number one launch, the subtasks can include: 

• Writing the marketing materials 
• Creating email sequences 
• Editing video posts

Then, of course, assign the project manager responsible for making sure everything comes together on time.

4. Update benefits plan offerings

Using the data you referred to in step one, analyze the utilization of each plan. Which ones are most popular among your employees? What is missing from what your employees say they need? 

Aside from last year’s metrics around your open enrollment plan, you should also consider benchmarking against your competitors (i.e., companies looking for similar talent as you). Know what they’re offering and what your talents are expecting — and think about what would delight them.

Of course, this must be considered against the budget and coordinated with finance. 

Lastly, negotiate with carriers to secure the best rates for your company and employees.

5. Prepare benefits documentation and compliance requirements

By this step in an open enrollment project plan, you should have updated your benefits offers and negotiated with the best carriers. 

Your next step is to update all benefits documentation requirements, especially if you made any changes in your benefits plans. Some of the documents to prepare may include:

• Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs)
• Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs)
• COBRA notices (if applicable)

6. Update your open enrollment software

The field of AI-powered HR technologies is rapidly evolving. New solutions like Healthee are allowing employees to get personalized open enrollment advice through an AI-powered chatbot.

A Benefits Enrollment Communication Trends study by Willis Towers Watson discovered that 84% of employers plan to expand the tools they have to help employees make smart enrollment decisions.

But whatever technological solutions you have in place to help with an open enrollment project plan, be sure to reach out to your IT department and benefits administration vendors early to update your enrollment platforms and fix any bugs. All plan information should be accurate, and systems should be able to handle the expected volume of people during the enrollment period. 

7. Develop a comprehensive employee communication strategy

All the hard work you’ve put into updating your plans will go to waste if your employees aren’t aware of them. 

Create a multi-channel communication plan to raise awareness about your updated offers. Use our comprehensive open enrollment communications guide. And feel free to grab Healthee’s open enrollment email template. 

8. Ready HR staff and managers for open enrollment implementation

The next step is to equip your team with the knowledge they need to perform at their best. 

Schedule training sessions with enough time before your open enrollment begins to: 

• Go over any changes to your enrollment procedure.
• Ensure everyone knows how to navigate the benefits software.
• Have everyone understand the terms and conditions of each plan (or at least know where to find them).
• Ensure they block off the time necessary for managing open enrollment. 

I recommend starting training at least a few days before sending out the first open enrollment communications to employees. 

When your HR team is well-informed and available, they can better address employee questions, like defining benefits terminology or helping them understand coverage options. This is vital to providing a smoother enrollment experience for everyone.

9. Launch the employee communication campaign

This step in an open enrollment project plan puts your communication strategy into action. Start posting the campaigns you developed in step number seven. When should you begin? 

According to a MetLife employee benefits study, 37% of employees wish they’d had more time to make the right choices, while 31% said they procrastinate when selecting their benefits. So give employees enough time. 

At Healthee, we recommend starting 2-4 weeks before the enrollment period. 

This gives employees plenty of time to become familiar with your offers.

10. Manage open enrollment

During the open enrollment period, keep an eye on the KPIs you set in Step 2. Identify areas that need additional attention. 

During this time, the most important things are to ensure your employees know how to get their questions answered and that they get answers promptly. 

In order to provide employees with immediate, personalized attention, you may also consider using an all-in-one benefits navigation app like Healthee. The Healthee platform is designed to simplify your open enrollment process allowing employees to independently explore their benefits options and find answers to their questions in seconds. 

11. Conduct a post-enrollment survey

Once open enrollment is complete, it’s time to assess your progress toward your goals. Examine your employees’ enrollment data with a survey. This can provide insights into what worked well and what aspects of your new open enrollment project plan need improvement. 

Keep the survey short, and feel free to grab ideas from our post-open-enrollment survey.

HR open enrollment project plan checklist

Check out all 11 open enrollment implementation steps in the graphic below:

Start preparing now

A successful open enrollment project plan hinges on executing each of the steps above in a timely and coordinated fashion. Using the HR open enrollment checklist – along with good project management and buy-in from stakeholders – will help you pull it off smoothly. And most importantly, remember to remain focused on delivering a good employee experience. 

Our product, Healthee, helps you do that. Healthee uses AI to help employees compare plans now and navigate their health benefits year-round. It’s completely personalized and makes choosing a plan and using benefits as easy as making a purchase on Amazon.

Ready to simplify your open enrollment process? Get started with Healthee today and make your next enrollment season the best one yet.