These are the essential roles you need for a successful HRIT implementation
A digital HR transformation and HRIT implementation require specific roles and skills, which not every organization has in-house. In addition, the time needed to properly fill those roles is often greatly underestimated. In this blog we explain which roles you absolutely must fill on the customer side—and how the hiring of external expertise can help.
Implementing a new HCM system takes time—often much more than you think. This is because there is so much more involved than just implementing the system itself. This is the time to streamline your HR processes, clean up and standardize your data, and integrate the newly purchased HRIT system with your other core systems. In other words, it’s hardly a rollout of a ready-made system. In addition, all stakeholders need to be involved in the digital transformation, extensive testing will be required before you can go live—and don’t forget to train people. In short: don’t underestimate the scale of an HRIT implementation if you want to avoid disappointment afterwards.
In addition to good preparation—for example with a Phase 0— it is also important to put together a good team that will steer the implementation in the right direction in consultation with the implementation partner. Director Bas Eggelaar and Roel van Wanrooij, Senior Consultant at SuccessDay, explain which roles are essential and why it is so important that all roles work closely together.
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The Project Manager
This role can be filled internally or externally. Keep in mind that this is a full-time position for the duration of the project, you cannot have someone do this ‘on the side’. The project manager is responsible for monitoring the planning, budget, and scope. Someone who knows a lot about HR and IT, someone who can bridge the gap between people, processes, and systems. Roel: “And ideally someone with project management experience, someone who is used to talking to C-level, who excels in managing a team, and who is willing to compromise. Building a system based on the past, without including the strong points of your new system, would be a big waste in this regard.”
In this blog you will read why an external project manager is often a golden opportunity.
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Project Management Officer (PMO)
A big misconception is that a PMO is a kind of glorified secretary to the project manager. A good PMO, however, does so much more than plan appointments and take minutes. Bas: “A good PMO can really make a difference. A PMO takes care of the project organization and prepares things like steering committee slides, checks the quality of delivered documents and keeps an eye on the planning and deliverables. This allows the project manager to focus on the external environment and the associated stakeholder and expectation management.” A good PMO must be stress-resistant, flexible, persistent, dedicated, pragmatic and realistic. So basically, an all-rounder.
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The change or user adoption manager
Bas: “HR technology can only be successful if there is also sufficient attention for the soft side. This goes beyond attention to communication or training. The system must be widely embraced and used as effectively as possible. This requires change management or a policy on user adoption. People need to understand why change is necessary and what it will bring them, and resistance needs to be overcome where possible. Also, the different target groups in the organization often need a different approach. Think for example of an employee in the factory versus an employee in the office. In this customer case you can read how Vanderlande achieved this.
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Data Leads
Ideally, you will map out the processes and data already in the preparatory phase, so that you can set standards and map out the route to more HR Maturity. At SuccessDay this is based on best practices. Roel: “Data Lead is one of the most underestimated roles in HCM projects. An HRIS implementation is often the perfect opportunity to clean up and standardize your data. Don’t forget that managing and cleaning data is time-consuming. So don’t decide at the last minute that you want to do this as well. Start on time and then really begin with a clean slate, so you can make good comparisons and analyses, and really manage on facts instead of gut feelings. Qualitative data requires accuracy, precision, and consistency. In addition to these attributes, you also need to have Excel experience to see this through successfully.”
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Test Leads
An important phase during any HRIT implementation is testing. Testing is perhaps even more underestimated than the data aspect, explains Bas. “I used to make that mistake myself, thinking my IT person has testing experience, so I don’t need to bring in testing expertise. But testing an on-premise ERP system is very different from testing a SaaS HCM system, which is often integrated with other core systems as well.” Organizations should never underestimate the need to bring in an experienced Test Lead and testers for specific components. This allows you to verify that all interfaces are working as designed, and that all information is getting into your other systems correctly. In addition, thorough testing minimizes production problems and overall project risks; it improves data quality and increases user engagement. Finally, proper testing also gives you a good understanding of the capabilities and vulnerabilities of the system you have chosen. In this blog, we explain the importance of end-to-end testing during HRIT implementations.
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Functional Leads
It is advisable to appoint a functional lead for at least the most important modules of your HCM system. This applies in any case to the HCM Core module, but also for Recruitment and Talent & Performance, for example. Sometimes some smaller modules, such as Learning for example, can be assigned to existing Leads. A Functional Lead is a linchpin and ensures, together with the colleagues within a functional cluster, that the set functional targets are achieved, and decisions are made. He or she also works across clusters and is the first point of contact for both the business and the implementation partner when it comes to a particular module.
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Integration Leads
In addition to the Functional Lead, you often have an Integration Lead. In this role, you are charged with the day-to-day management responsibilities of coordinating, planning, troubleshooting, and implementing all requirements to achieve integration and business results. Integration Leads not only develop and implement solutions themselves; they also evaluate existing components and systems to determine integration requirements. They lead, mentor, coach and educate the integration team on best practices in integration design. Furthermore, they analyze and review plans and strategies for multiple projects, and ensure that the final solutions meet the needs of the organization. Roel: “The Integration Lead is often the biggest silo within a project. You need to ensure that they are not just focused on their own thing, and are expressing themselves in IT jargon. That’s why we make sure that our Integration Leads not only excel in IT, but also in communication and collaboration.”
Properly filling the above roles will significantly increase the chances of a successful HCM implementation. It is important that you do not hire the roles separately but work with a party that understands the interdependence of these roles—and lets the team members work together effectively. This way you reduce the chance of delays, budget overruns and disappointment, and ensure that the system is used to its full potential. Want to know how SuccessDay can support you with various roles during HCM implementation, and make sure team members don’t just focus on their own responsibilities?
