4 Tips To Make Your HR Tech Implementation Easier
Undertaking an HR transformation project demonstrates that your organisation wants to revitalise their way of working and their people processes. It is a hugely positive step for the company and the HR team, in particular. It can often involve a lot of investment in terms of time, effort and of course, money. Nobody involved in such a project wants it to fail; HR team members can be the most nervous about the new technology they will be implementing. They can do their best to select the perfect tool and design wonderful workflows, but the long and short-term success of the project is ultimately dependent on the team delivering a smooth rollout of the new HR system.
The end-to-end implementation of new HR software is a big goal for companies of any size and industry. It is important that the goal is completed successfully. Knowing the challenges that come with a project of this nature, in this blog we are sharing some advice to make your HR tech implementation easier. If a new HR system is on the horizon in your organisation, then you’ve come to the right place!
Get clarity
Before you even start thinking about launching your shiny new HR technology solution, there needs to be absolute clarity amongst key stakeholders around how the system will impact processes and ultimately make everyone’s lives better. Being clear about the types of activities that will be affected once the system is in place is a crucial part of the success of the implementation.
How will day-to-day processes of the HR team, or even the entire organisation, be changed as a result of having your new system in place? What will your people need to start doing? And what activities and processes might they have to stop doing?
A simple example of this could be a move from a manual timesheet system to a modern technology based solution. Everyone involved should be absolutely clear on the last date for submitting the old fashioned timesheets and the day from which the new system should be utilised. Having this total clarity will make the move to the new platform a whole lot easier.
2. Keep communicating
Clarity & Communication pretty much go hand in hand. HR Tech Implementation projects have many moving parts that are being addressed by various team members and departments. Keeping each other updated and fully aligned on what’s happening is essential for a successful rollout of a new HR system.
Weekly update calls are my favourite way of maintaining communication amongst the implementation team. This doesn’t have to be a long discussion; 15 or 30 minutes where the project lead gives an update on the stages recently completed and where the project is heading next can be enough. But this isn’t the only way for the implementation team to stay aligned. A shared workbook or productivity app is also a good way of maintaining communication and making the implementation project easier.
When we talk about communication making things easier, we aren’t only talking about communication within the HR transformation team. We are also speaking about communication with line managers and the wider company. Sudden and unannounced changes never go down well. Highlighting and communicating the benefits that your new solution is going to deliver to the whole organisation in plenty of time will ease the rollout of the new system and make it less likely that you’ll have problems later on. Establishing a communications plan for company wide announcements as you ease towards the rollout date is key here!
3. Break down the project into bite-sized tasks
Undertaking an HR tech implementation project can be a daunting prospect. There are so many things to get done; it can be an anxious feeling for the HR team. In order to ease this, it’s important to segment the project into manageable phases and further break down each phase into bite-sized tasks.
We have already created this FREE HR Tech Implementation Checklist just for you. Our checklist makes it easy for you to see at a glance what tasks have been completed and what activities are coming next, as you move towards a smooth and successful deployment of your new HR system. Remember to stay motivated and celebrate your wins as you check off each stage towards completion!
4. Always seek expert advice
It is very common to find that CHROs, CPOs and other HR leaders cannot directly manage an HR system implementation project due to their already busy schedules. But giving the project to other team members who lack the subject matter skills, knowledge and experience isn’t a wise move. Moreover, HR teams that are already very busy looking after their people can quickly become overwhelmed when starting a transformation project, especially if they haven’t executed similar projects before.
It is good to seek expert advice from people or consultancy firms who have done these kind of projects before and made them successful. Working with a strong implementation partner like DayoneHR will keep your team at ease while we use our years of experience to steer your project to successful completion.
Let DayoneHR make your HR Tech implementation easier!
We are here to help with the implementation of your new HR platform. Whether you want us to take over and lead the project, or provide coaching as you continue on your HR Tech transformation journey, we’d love to hear from you! So reach out to us today at DayoneHR to arrange a FREE consultation.