Negotiating the implementation minefield

Whether moving from an old legacy system or transitioning manual HR processes to the cloud, implementing new HR software is a big project. A significant amount of planning and commitment from both the customer and the service provider is required to deliver the project in full and on time. End-to-end, the process spans beyond a “go live” date if teams are to ensure a smooth transition and guarantee operational efficiency for the future.

Implementation of HR software does not always run smoothly, a good proportion of customers who switch to our software do so as a result of poor or incomplete implementation with previous vendors, others regale us with tales of endless time extensions which have exhausted and demotivated teams who can no longer see light at the end of the tunnel. To prevent your next project turning into a disaster, negotiate the implementation minefield successfully by being aware of the following common issues:

1)     It takes a team to make a change

One of the biggest challenges facing HR practitioners is to manage the entire project, ensuring buy-in from other departments in the business. Undertaking a change of this magnitude cannot happen in silo, it involves strong involvement and participation from other departments as well as the ability to manage staff availability and timelines.

2)     Choose your vendor wisely

There are a plethora of HR software vendors out there and finding the solution that suits your business and supports it as it grows is not easy. Before committing to any vendor, make sure you and your colleagues from other departments have had a thorough demonstration of the product so you can identify any shortcomings and ask plenty of questions about their implementation process. Unlike Access People, some vendors do not have an in-house implementation team, this can cause problems as third-party costs may increase exponentially throughout the life of the project, opportunities for miscommunication between teams are more likely and you can suffer severe delays to launch.

3)     Timing is everything

Everyone wants their new HR software to be implemented at lightning speed, but make sure you are undertaking the project at the right time for your business. Avoiding peak stress points will make sure all teams can dedicate themselves to the project without any critical distractions. This is not always avoidable and sometimes you may have deadlines which are immovable. When this is the case, make sure you are working with a vendor who can prove they are able to support your needs. 

It is also important to assess how the implementation will synchronize with current business activities. For example, when integrating new software with payroll, it is important not to disrupt pay periods or key financial reporting dates.

4)     Managing the data transfer

The success of any HR software implementation will depend on the accuracy of your employee records, all the information added to any new software must be as complete and accurate as possible to achieve operational efficiency. At Access People, we know how critical this part of the project is to the overall success rate, so we work alongside our clients to help manage and guide this process to ensure it does not overwhelm teams.

5)     Staff training

Staff training for new system changes should never be an afterthought, neither is it undertaken in a single training session! Every employee should receive internal marketing around the change, why it is taking place, the benefits to their working lives, when it will all happen and how. It often takes a series of multi-faceted training sessions to embed the workings of new software into the hearts and minds of a workforce, ensuring different levels of seniority are confident with the new functionality at their fingertips.

6)     Creating “off-process-processes”

This issue usually occurs when HR software has not been implemented properly or there is a lack of trust in its ability. Teams “back-up” a process by undertaking manual tasks in parallel or insert a manual work-around to try and solve a particular problem they have encountered. The more manual tasks that are added, the less efficient your new software will be.

In Summary

To achieve operational efficiency following the implementation of your HR software, it is important to learn the lessons of those who have not achieved their digitization goals. SaaS HR software from vendors such as Access People have proven to support business agility and deliver a return on investment, however opportunities for failure are plentiful, so making sure you are confident with the vendor, their team and software capabilities is critical for success.

For more information and expert advice, please contact me at matt.newton@theaccessgroup.com or call me on 07796 938792