We are living in the world of technology “on-demand”. Be it a project management software, an accounting software or shopping app, the user base today increasingly comprises of “Digital Natives” who need technology systems which are not only easy to use but also easy to implement. “DIY” or “Do it Yourself “systems are everyone’s favorite. There are numerous examples like slack, aha where such softwares have received unparalleled adoption and have changed the way of working.
The HR Technology world is no different and as SaaS journey of HR moves to new avenues, there is a clear-cut demand for systems which can either be self-implemented or have such shorter implementation cycle that an organization doesn’t need to spend 12- 18 months before things start rolling.
While SaaS solutions have been able to meet these demands thanks to the Pre-Configured Apps, off lately there have been lot of speculations on whether faster implementation is a story of “great haste makes great waste.” Having implemented almost all projects in the past 7-8 months within 6 – 9 weeks, my experience says that is not the case. Yes! it is a tight ship, but no way does it mean that this ship cannot sail. Here are few learnings which ensure that shorter or DIY implementation and get you better results.
You can’t do it alone:
While a superman might not need any support to do his work, we are human after all. And running this tight ship without impacting quality needs coordinated effort. Have your set of functional and implementation experts ready. That doesn’t just mean from the vendor’s side – it is a joint responsibility and teams from both sides should be equally involved. Having a team with defined responsibilities and a roadmap is the most important task.
Every game needs a rule book
However easy a game is to play, it needs a rule book. So does HR tech implementation. An implementation playbook goes a long way in ensuring that a DIY implementation goes well. The playbook should not only comprise of step by step guidelines of how to implement, it should also provide readiness guidelines and checklists. Do you understand the depth of workflows which need to be implemented? Are you ready with the data in the correct format? This helps to ensure that one is ready to configure the product as per the setup guidelines shared with you. It is always important to understand these guidelines and be ready with the necessary templates and datasets.
Data is the king
Sounds cliché but availability of the right data in the right format is deal breaker. It is the foundation of the system when we setup an instance. It is important to have information like employee data, organization hierarchy, HR policies in pre-defined format. All of it helps in avoiding any rework in setting up the system and saves time.
Extra Tip: While designing and implementing workflows do keep the user(employee) at the center.
Test it out!
No product is appreciated to ship prior to testing. It always helps to have some real-time data in the testing environment so that all the predefined business conditions, configuration requirements and features can be checked. Here again it is important to keep the timelines in mind and ensure that testing is being done for all user categories and for maximum of use cases.
Manage the change
A new HR tech system brings in a huge impact in the lives of employees. It is thus important to prepare them for this change. Do not underestimate the challenges that you will face if a proper change management track has not been put in place from the start of the project. Your change management plan should comprise of necessary communications, trainings and activation campaigns – as would suit the needs of your employees. In our experience we get the best adoption of technology in organizations which manage this part well.
Implementing SaaS HR that too within stringent timelines is undoubtedly a herculean task. But with the pace technology is advancing it is no longer “Impossible”. All one needs is the plan and a team which can ensure that all of it is implemented to the last mile.
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