At SuccessDay we normally strive to be on site with our clients as much as possible. Although we are used to operate globally, the main project team often works together physically at the client’s office. Especially at the start of an HRIS project, this helps to build a relationship of trust and understanding with the client.
Personal and effective
In face-to-face meetings, we are able to sense and read the expression inside the room without a word being spoken. The best insights sometimes come up during an informal conversation at the coffee machine. And when questions need to be answered, what is easier then to just walk by the next office and ask the question in person? This approach is personal, dynamic and effective.
Drastic charges
This proven, appreciated way of working has changed drastically due to COVID-19. Everyone is working from home as much possible. Zoom and Teams have completely replaced the conference room, documents and data are shared in the cloud and if you need to ask something quickly, you send an app. Like so many millions of people around the world, we needed to rethink our approach completely.
Positive side of working remotely
Even though it was a bit challenging at the beginning, we are now able to see the positive side of a remote implementation as well. Stand-ups, cross-functionals, scrum sessions and even complete workshops can be done fully remote, in an efficient way. Meetings are to the point and time is used more efficient. That is, if you keep in mind some simple guidelines…
Conditions for succes
We summarised a couple of topics that are, according to us, vital in making a remote implementation successful:
Clear project meeting structure
• Organise daily stand-ups with the core team. Schedule these up to twice a day to keep the contact points on a par with the stage of the project.
• Schedule recurring cross-functional meetings that include stakeholders from different functional streams. This results in less ad-hoc meetings, leaving you more time to actually get things done.
• Define clear digital meeting rules, like muting when you’re not speaking, camera on/off, using the chat for questions, etc.
Online backlog/overview of tasks
Online backlog/overview of tasks
• The project planning and milestones need to be clear for everyone and should be available online for the team to access at any time.
• Be clear about the deadlines, and who is working on what. An online environment where progress can be tracked may be of great help (Trello, MS Teams Planner, Jira, Gant Bord, etc).
Time-management
• Keep your agenda up to date. Everyone can relate to the difficulty of finding available timeframes. Keeping your agenda up to date helps others to schedule activities that require your attendance.
• Make a to-do list at the start of the day. Microsoft To Do is a great tip!
Have fun!
• Although we are in difficult times, it is important to have fun, also from a distance. Organise a short game or online quiz with your colleagues, a virtual coffee break or a Friday afternoon drink for some social talk and fun.
Written by
Eveline van Bergen, Senior Consultant at SuccessDay. Responsible as a Global Data Lead for a global rollout of SuccessFactors EC, Recruiting, Performance and Talent at a global client (26.000 employees) headquarters in the Netherlands.
Steven Thangathurai, Senior Consultant at SuccessDay. Currently supporting an international client (5.200 employees) headquartered in Belgium, with a worldwide rollout of Workday HCM Core, Compensation and Recruiting.
SuccessDay
We are SuccessDay, specialised in Employee Experience, HRIT and People Analytics. We operate alongside the implementation partner with roles your organisation needs to staff during roll-out.
Roles we can fulfil:
• Project & Change Managers
• Business Analysts & Business consultants
• Data Leads & Consultants
• Test Leads & Consultants
As independent advisors we are free to provide you with the honest and straightforward advise that enables you to make the right decisions. We are highly experienced with the HCM systems that matter such as Workday and SuccessFactors. And, last but not least: we guarantee success with our proven methodologies and Quality Assurance
- Organize a daily stand-up with your team that you are working closely together with. Schedule these up to two times a day to keep the contact points on a level that matches the stage of the project.
- Recurring cross functional meetings that include stakeholders from different functional streams. This results in less ad-hoc meetings leaving time for you to actually get work done.
- Define clear digital meeting rules, like muting when you’re not speaking, camera on/off, using the chat for questions, etc.
