This is how Douwe helped waste recycler Renewi achieve a soft landing with its new global HRIT system
From 26 June to 14 August, a team of specialists from SuccessDay helped employees of Renewi achieve a Smooth Landing after going live with Workday as its global HRIT system. In this blog we hear from Douwe Clarijs who is currently following the Workday traineeship at SuccessDay. What were the first few weeks like after the go-live? How have he and his colleagues been able to support the employees of Renewi? And how have they ensured that the organization can now continue on its own?
Sit back and relax after the implementation of a global HCM package? Forget it! A software package like this needs constant maintenance and the internal support organization is often inundated with questions, issues and tickets. That is why SuccessDay provides two kinds of after-go-live support: Smooth Landing and Application Managed Services (AMS). While Smooth Landing focuses on support immediately after the go-live and in the following weeks, AMS is intended for the period afterwards, in which constant adjustments are made to the software package with new releases and solving technical incidents.
Together with several SuccessDay colleagues, Young Professional Douwe Clarijs was involved in the after-go-live support following the implementation of Workday at waste recycler Renewi. SuccessDay’s help was called in after the implementation of the HRIT system because the organization realized that it could use some extra manpower and expertise in achieving a soft landing and securing the acceptance of the system.
Questions, issues and tickets
The go-live of a new system is often a reason for celebration for the project team, but the users do not always see it that way, says Douwe. It can take a lot of getting used to, searching and trying things out. “Soon after going live, the internal support organization is flooded with questions, and tickets are created. During the go-live, the implementation partner only solves technical problems. The internal support organization has only just been set up and the tsunami of requests for help from colleagues is often overwhelming. They are often inundated with ‘I can’t log in’ messages and ‘how-do-I-do-this-again?’ questions.”
Throughout this hectic period, SuccessDay can become the buffer between functional management and support. Douwe: “See us as a filter that ensures a smooth transition”. A kind of war room is created, where we also solve non-technical issues. In consultation with the customer and the implementation partner, it is decided who will work on the technical tickets. Ultimately, we all work together and share the same goal.”
Data catch-up
In the days before the go-live, there is always a data catch-up for the so-called freeze period. This is a specific period during which restrictions or limited changes are imposed on the old system or on the data being migrated to a new system. This kind of data catch-up includes updating and synchronizing existing data and migrating it to the new HRIT system before it is put into use.
All existing relevant HR data must be seamlessly transferred to Workday. There was intensive collaboration between Renewi’s HR team, the implementation partner, SuccessDay and other involved parties. “My colleague Marco provided support from the Belgian office in Lommel and my colleagues Jocelyne and Lucia and myself worked from Renewi’s office in Eindhoven. These were very intensive but educational days. This step is crucial to the continuation of the HR processes without disruption”, says Douwe.
Every SuccessDay consultant has their own group with a number of Renewi HR professionals, and together they checked dozens of rows of data. His colleague Lucia was also in regular contact with Functional Management. “Once everything was in order, we could continue with the go-live as planned.”
The go-live
Workday went live at Renewi in the Netherlands, Belgium and England on Wednesday 28 June. The other countries, including France and Portugal, will follow later. The go-live went smoothly. No fewer than 4500 employees were able to use the new HRIT system for the first time that day, and around half of them also logged in on day one. This was possible on both a computer and a smartphone. “The reach was significant. With a few minor exceptions, this actually ran smoothly. It was very busy at first, with lots of emails and phone calls.”
There were also many questions from the recruitment department. They had to enter a lot of data because there had been a freeze for a while before the go-live. “They immediately encountered some things that were different than they were used to, so it’s logical that there were questions.” According to Douwe, it made a difference that the HR support department had followed training in advance. “They were already very familiar with the system.”
During the first week, the SuccessDay team was largely present in the office, and in the weeks that followed they also regularly worked remotely, both from the SuccessDay offices and from home. Douwe deliberately chose to work from Renewi’s office every now and then. “I knew that being there in person would make it easier for people to ask questions. They are more likely to approach you than when you’re working remotely.” For him, this direct contact with the users was one of the nicest aspects of this job. “As a consultant, you don’t normally have so much contact with the end user, as you work mainly with the project group. Now you can see with your own eyes how people react to the new system and the issues they encounter. It was really valuable, and I’m sure it has made me a better consultant.”
Great collaboration
Douwe looks back on an educational time, with great collaboration both with his colleagues at Renewi and his SuccessDay colleagues. “The lines of communication were short, the atmosphere was good and there was understanding for the fact that I was not immediately able to answer every question and sometimes had to look things up. With so many modules being implemented simultaneously, I learned a lot about the system. I have gained a lot of new skills and I now feel much more confident about my Workday knowledge.”
Over the past six weeks, the SuccessDay consultants also transferred knowledge to the internal support team. “They now have the right knowledge and information to be able to take over from us. If there is still a need for support, we can of course provide it through our AMS service”, explains Douwe. Once the Smooth Landing was complete, Douwe contacted Functional Management at Renewi several times. “I helped them when they got stuck. We often hear from customers that SuccessDay is so approachable. And that’s true. Customer and employee satisfaction are our top priorities.”
In the near future, Douwe will focus on data support for another SuccessDay client. “I would ultimately like to move in a more analytical direction. There’s still a lot more to learn here.”
