Struggling with HRIS Implementation? Seeking Advice on Planning and Monitoring Strategies

Hi! I hope you are well.  I currently own a medium-sized company with 200 employees, and we are just about to embark on implementing an HRIS. We have decided on the most suitable HRIS for our company but have reached a standstill when deciding on the best implementation and monitoring plan for the new system. I am wondering if fellow HR professionals and brainiacs on this site are willing to help?

Questions We Have

- Outline an implementation plan/project timeframes
- Performance expectations and KPIs
- Backup service
- Strategy to provide training and support
- Methods for monitoring the HRIS and identifying and resolving deficiencies

The system we purchased "dumped" it on us and has decided not to assist us in implementation. We do have in-house IT; however, they are not skilled in HRIS, and our HR team is arguing and not reaching a consensus, hence all the questions.

Thank you for your time. I have long admired and used this site and thank you all for future and previous discussions. It has certainly helped grow and develop my business.

Regards, Akuti.

I feel your pain! You are another statistical victim of over-zealous solution vendors who perceive their role as being entirely limited to (using your words 'dumping') MIS (in your case HRIS) solutions on clients. When it comes to seamlessly integrating those solutions with the client's existing architecture, they are almost always a big fat zero. Why? Simple really! Integration is always 90% of the challenge when implementing MISs or ERPs. Deciding which one to buy (or build) and buying it only represents 10%—especially at a time when client awareness of their requirements is at an all-time high.

The questions you ask in this post are typical integration and deployment questions that are handled by an experienced project manager (client-side that is) BEFORE and DURING the process when a decision is being taken whether to buy, build, or buy-build an MIS or ERP.

However, all is not lost for you.

I like Jeevarathnam's suggestion above. It is a great initiative from within the organization. However, it is not an ideal methodology to implement an MIS or ERP. These are highly specialist systems that can serve myriad purposes if designed, deployed, and integrated appropriately.

My Earnest Suggestion

My earnest suggestion is to either find a management consultant (please take note I am NOT suggesting an IT person—this is NOT an IT role) who is experienced in mapping organizational requirements and developing their dependencies, redundancies, and relationships with individual departments, locations, positions, and functions. This is what you really need if you are going to get anywhere close to 50% value from what you paid for the HRIS. The process should take anywhere between 8 - 12 weeks. If the person is competent and can hit the ground running (which most 10 - 15-year Management Consultants can), this timeframe may also include preparing the HRIS for initial testing.

My reply may not be what you want to hear. But, the truth is that you are a 200-strong organization. Presumably, you've spent close to a few lacs for the HRIS without holding the vendor accountable for integrating and deploying the system within the organization (a significant oversight of the most elementary IT contractual component by the person concerned). Now, the last thing you want as icing on the cake is for some quick-fix 'jugaad' which may look very nice today but will grow into a complex liability as time goes by and your organization's strength grows—and with that its requirements!

What Qualifies Me to Offer These Suggestions

I've implemented many such multi-million-dollar systems as a client-side project manager in Sydney. And, almost always, the duration of any such project is between 6 to 8 months—from gathering user requirements to putting the system into 'production' after rigorous testing. You may not realize it, but you do have a Significant Challenge Ahead!

If I make any sense to you, and you need to have a quick chat, please do not hesitate to ring me on the number below. I'll be more than happy to offer some tips on your project.

Take care and All the BEST!