How to Implement a HR System

‘there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. 

– Niccolo Machiavelli

HR directors face increasing demands of their time-management skills, recruitment strategies and people-management abilities in today’s competitive workplace. HR departments are charged with not only keeping perfect records and complying with ever-evolving government and industry regulations but also with contributing to and nurturing business objectives through recruitment and motivation.

Globalisation of business adds its own headaches in managing foreign business transactions, remote workforces and multiple regulations in many jurisdictions. Implementing the right HR information system, or HRIS, to automate and facilitate business processes becomes increasingly critical to the success for all companies whether they’re small or large.

It’s critical to ask the right questions before settling on a version of HR software. Choosing the right software, vendor and technology becomes much easier when you define clear objectives, and implementing any solution becomes smoother with fewer trouble spots.

Unfortunately, too many decision-makers fail to ask the right questions before implementing HR software, which results in buying systems more or less advanced than you really need and encountering transitional problems of burdensome magnitudes.

5 Steps to Successful HR System Implementation

We believe a roadmap to a successful HR software project should focus on the following stages.

1. Understanding Strategic priorities

Defining your strategic business priorities is a critical first step before choosing HR software. It’s easy to get caught up in exciting software capabilities, automation of time-consuming tasks and management capabilities that could transform your recruiting efforts.

2. Evaluating the vendors

There are thousands of vendors, features & delivery models. The questions you ask will help identify a partner of best fit.

3. Planning the HR implementation project

How you implement your software will affect your business, consume resources and generate wider implications such as short interruptions of business. The strategy you use also depends on which type of software you’ve chosen. Even the simplest choices–such as choosing a single supplier and configuring everything yourself–could generate unexpected trouble spots.

4. Implementing the project

The roadmap to a successful transition must cover ground that includes governing the project and governing the functions. It’s inadvisable to run the project and the HR department separately, so it’s important to plan on HR staff taking expanded roles during the implementation and integration processes

5. Going live

First impressions are important, which is why it’s critical to reduce functionality and provide sufficient resources to generate a successful launch of the new software. You might choose an important company event, anniversary, new operating year or new HR process as the starting point for going live with the new system. The bigger the difference the new software will make after the launch, the better the event will be for generating favourable post-implementation buzz.

Understanding Your HR System Implementation Strategy

An HR system can only manage the processes you plan for it to do because each system–whether legacy, fully integrated or SaaS technology–depends on the data available and your core criteria in defining your business needs. No matter how useful or popular a given software solution may be for other businesses, the real test is how the software works for your specific business needs. Grand technology is useless unless it achieves your objectives, streamlines your business and frees staff time for other projects instead of doing repetitive HR tasks like payroll calculations.

For a full list of definitive questions, download your free roadmap to a successful HR software project now