There are many comprehensive HR cloud solutions on the market today, all with different benefits and key features. But, they are only as good as the features that benefit your organization.
In this blog, we will lay out three of the top solution providers and their benefits as well as the steps to consider during your implementation.
Before you even discuss systems, it is important to understand your goals for the implementation. One of the biggest problems that we see is when organizations implement new technology just for the sake of implementing technology. The business case is key to success in any implementation.
Define what you want to accomplish and then choose a system with the features that will help you to achieve those goals.
Three of the top comprehensive HR systems
SAP SuccessFactors
In 2012, SAP acquired SuccessFactors and has continued to build and improve on the existing product. Now, it is a full comprehensive HR solution that covers all areas of the HR business unit. Over 2,000 companies using SuccessFactors to power their HR processes, demonstrating the many benefits to choosing SuccessFactors.
Benefits:
- You can purchase and implement one module at a time or the entire suite.
- You have the option of Rapid Deployment Solutions. This is beneficial for organizations that have a short timeline and don’t need a lot of customization.
- You are able to integrate with third party providers through Dell Boomi or through SAP Cloud Platform Integration (SCPI).
Oracle
Oracle is one of the largest cloud platforms and solution providers worldwide with over 430,000 business running an Oracle solution.
Benefits:
- Upgrades are efficient and low cost.
- The database is perfect for companies with large amounts of data with the need for high-integrity data.
- Oracle has flashback technology. This allows you to not lose your data if there is a power outage.
Workday
Workday was formed in 2005 by two longtime HR professionals. Since then, they have grown the business to be a flexible, manageable, and comprehensive HR system.
Benefits:
- The solution is designed for medium-to-large-sized companies.
- Workday has in-memory technology that secures the data instead of fields. You set up the security once and it governs across the entire platform.
- The mobile-focused platform is designed so that there is no interruption to user experience from desktop to mobile processing.
Note: These are not the only benefits of each system, just some of the top ones that we recognize. Also, this is by no means a comprehensive list of ERP solutions, but merely an example of comparing strengths based on your organizational needs.
Implementation Process
1. Define your project plan.
Define your plan, resources, and timeline before starting and STICK TO IT! It is important to stay as close to the plan as possible; otherwise, your implementation will go off in a direction that you didn’t expect, and your budget could be blown in the first phase. This is largely going to be determined by the implementation partner you choose as this is a large responsibility of the partner.
2. Secure your resources.
Your internal resources will likely be splitting their time between this implementation and their normal jobs. To make sure that your implementation stays on track and your business still runs smoothly, scheduling is key.
If your internal resources and the resources from your implementation partner will not be enough, you may need to consider hiring more outside help.
3. Define your integration and migration strategy.
Your implementation is only as good as your data. Confirm with your implementation partner what the best integration and migration strategy for your organization will be based on a host of various factors, such as follows:
- Number of interfaces with third party vendors
- Complexity of the integrations required
- Current integration or middleware technology your IT departments uses
Depending on what you plan on using as your system of reference, this could impact your strategy.
This is also a good time for you to scrub your data and get rid of anything that isn’t accurate or necessary. Work with your legal team to understand what your data retention requirements are for the various types of data you have.
4. Determine business requirements and configuration time.
Each software application has various functionalities, some of which may seem very appealing. However, all functionality that you choose to implement MUST have solid business requirements (i.e., the business is asking for the functionality); otherwise, you may find that it is difficult to validate requirements and thus test adequately. In addition, you will have larger change management and communications challenges with explaining functionality that was not requested or desired.
In addition, always give yourself more time than you think necessary to validate your business requirements as this will drive the time it takes for your partner to configure the system. If you don’t allocate enough time or don’t have a firm handle on your business requirements, this will be the fastest way to a change order from your implementation partner. Expect that even if you stick to the plan, things will come up and you’ll need time to address.
5. Testing
You will be responsible for managing and driving User Acceptance Testing (UAT). If you have never written test scripts, ask your implementation partner. They should have sample scripts that you can tweak to fit your needs but recognize that the testing scripts need to reflect your business requirements. Thus, you need to have people that understand your business processes very well involved in creating and reviewing test cases and scripts.
Again, this will always take more time than you think. It is a good idea to build in more time than you think necessary for this phase of the project.
6. Go-Live
While UAT and user adoption are critical to the success of your project, go-live is equally as important as it is the culmination of all the work to this point. It requires thorough planning down to a low level of detail, even down to specific timeframes, depending on the cutover activities.
The Go-Live phase is also where it is critical to have your Change Management and User Adoption plans in full swing. If your implementation partner doesn’t have a Change Management department, it would be ideal to hire someone who specializes in this area. They will prepare your users for the new changes to come with training and continued learning after go-live.
If your users aren’t onboard with the new technology and processes, they won’t use it, which will in turn make the project ineffective.
If you are having trouble deciding on what platform is best for your organization and the project plan that best fits your organization, you can speak to the various implementation partners for each of the applications. They can help you decide on the platform and a project plan moving forward based on their experiences implementing with different companies across various market sectors.
NEXT: You have done your due diligence and examined both the needs of your organization and the strengths of potential enterprise systems. You have made your selection and begun to implement your solution – now what? Read our blog on using your new technology as an opportunity to create an agile, fluid, & well-equipped workforce.
Resources:
- https://www.techwalla.com/articles/the-advantages-of-oracle-databases
- https://www.betterbuys.com/hrms/workday-vs-sap-successfactors-comparing-key-features-and-functionality/
- https://blogs.sap.com/2011/07/08/why-workday-is-a-major-threat-to-sap/
- https://comparisons.financesonline.com/successfactors-sap-vs-workday
- https://www.workday.com/content/dam/web/en-us/documents/datasheets/datasheet-workday-human-capital-management.pdf
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