Written by Stephanie Salley, MBA
After months, or even years of researching and evaluating Human Capital Management (HCM) systems, you have chosen the system that best fits your business needs. Here are some tips to consider as you prepare to implement your new HCM system.
- Make sure the right people are assigned and dedicated to implement your project
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- As the project sponsor, you want to make sure you assemble the correct team members. First, assign a project manager to be the primary point of contact for the client sponsor and the implementation team. Then expand the team to include the decision makers and subject matter experts with experience in:
- Human Resources
- Payroll
- Benefits
- Time & Attendance
- IT
- The subject matter experts should have a vast understanding of the organization’s policies, procedures, and reporting requirements.
- As the project sponsor, you want to make sure you assemble the correct team members. First, assign a project manager to be the primary point of contact for the client sponsor and the implementation team. Then expand the team to include the decision makers and subject matter experts with experience in:
- Once the dedicated team is assigned, the team members should meet to begin discussing the implementation
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- Ensure the team is aware of what products and services were purchased.
- Ensure the team has adequate amount of time to commit to your project. HCM systems take time to implement as you are basically moving your business structure, employee data, integrations, and branding from one system to another. It takes time to capture the data, implement, validate, and test.
- This is a great time to start cleaning up your current system to ensure the data we will capture is accurate. The data captured and going into your new HCM is that data that will come out when payroll is processed and reports are generated. Taking time to clean up the data now will save you time and frustration once you begin your project.
- Develop a priority list
- Create a priority list that ranks each item by: Must have – Important to have – Would like to have.
- As you are creating the list, determine if these are needed to go live or ok to implement after going live. This information may help determine the overall project timeline.
- Training is extremely important
- Most team members struggle because they do not take necessary training. Training gives you a glimpse of the system that is helpful to understand what and how you are configuring your HCM.
- Training gives the team the knowledge they need to become champions that can assist with training the remainder of your organization.
- Review current systems cancellation policy
- It is not the responsibility of the new HCM company to cancel your current systems contract. It is a good idea to let them know the cancellation policy as it will help when discussing the go live date.
- It is always a good idea to wait before you give your notice to your current provider as you want to make sure you can receive all the data needed to implement your new HCM without interruption.
Implementing a new HCM system is a huge financial investment as well as time-consuming. Taking time to properly prepare for your HCM project will ensure the team has a great start to a successful implementation. Projects are never perfect, there are often bumps along the way, and having a dedicated team is extremely important to ensure all tasks are completed in order to meet the agreed upon go live dates.
If you’re preparing to implement a new HCM system and want a trusted partner to guide you through the project, request a consultation with HRchitect.
Stephanie Salley is a Project Manager at HRchitect bringing over 20 years + of HR and Project Management experience to the HRchitect team. In her role she is responsible for leading organizations through successful HCM system implementations while keeping projects on time and within budget. Stephanie received both her MBA and B.S. in Business from Western International University in Arizona as well as a Human Resource Management Certification and Project Management Certification from the University of Phoenix, Tempe, AZ. When she’s not working with clients, you can find Stephanie traveling, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with family and friends.
Learn more about Stephanie on LinkedIn