Things to Consider for a Successful HRMS Implementation

 

Mary Ellen O'Neill, Practice Leader - PeopleSoft, PSC Group, LLC

Written exclusively for www.HRSteam.com

 

So you’ve decided to implement a HRMS! Whether you are implementing a HRMS for the first time or replacing an existing, outdated system there are some key steps to include when implementing your system.

• Define the project scope based on the functional and technical requirements you previously defined

• Determine resource needs and choose the project team for the system implementation. Project Team members should include Executive Sponsor, Project Manager, Functional Lead, Technical Lead, functional end users (should be power users), technical developers, Database Administrator, LAN/WAN Administrator and System/Web Administrator.

  • Define team resource requirements

  • Select project team

  • Create a project organization chart

• Training

• Determine training requirements

• Power users trained (these users need to be trained before system configuration begins)

• Non power users trained (you may opt to send these employees to vendor provided training or have power users perform training)

• Develop training materials (for non vendor training only)

• Develop training database (for non vendor training only)

• Establish your project infrastructure

• Acquire space/facilities

• Establish database and operating system platform

• Install hardware and software

• Develop project plan, project budget and project documents (issue log, change management request, etc.)

• Hold a project kick-off meeting to review the project scope and the project plan

• Review project scope

• Review project plan

• Review project documents

• Obtain Sponsor approval

• Hold weekly (more often if necessary) project meetings throughout the life of the project – Communication is a key element to success!

• Review and update project plan

• Review issue log

• Assign resources for issue resolution

• Establish your prototyping environment

• Install HRMS application on prototype environment

• Perform any workstation installation or setup

• Identify detailed requirements (refer to requirements you defined previously)

• Further define functional requirements for HR, Benefits and Payroll

• Define prototyping scenarios (scenarios are your typical and non typical business processes you will want to test)

• Further define technical requirements for technical infrastructure and data management

• Define security and access requirements

• Define interface requirements (both delivered and custom)

• Determine reporting requirements

• Map your current business processes to the delivered processes of your HRMS

• Perform fit/gap analysis

• Configure your HRMS (populate all required tables with the appropriate values)

• Develop interfaces

• Confirm delivered interfaces

• Develop custom interfaces

• Data conversion (only if you are converting data from an existing system). You may need to perform several data conversions before your final conversion just prior to go live.

• Develop data maps

• Develop data conversion programs

• Perform data conversion

• Perform testing (this will be the most time intensive aspect of the system implementation)

• Develop a test plan and test scripts

• Perform configuration testing (tests the system setup)

• Perform integration testing (tests converted data and system setup)

• Perform system testing (tests system setup, conversions, interfaces and reports)

• Create a payroll parallel test plan (only if you are implementing payroll)

• Process parallel payroll(s)

• Identify and resolve problems

• Perform detailed payroll testing

• Perform final payroll parallel test

• Cutover

• Establish production environment

• Setup backup and processing schedules

• Perform cutover and go live

Typically, you will experience four to six weeks of "fallout" after go live. For example, end users will have forgotten to provide a complete list of report requests. Or, changes will have occurred with a third party vendor and interfaces need to be modified. Or, a new business process has been established and the implementation team was not informed. Or, end users make processing errors. This is not unusual and you should not let this detract from the huge benefits you will realize with your new HRMS. Remember, your new HRMS is there to make life easier for you. So, take things in stride those first weeks after go live.