PLANNING A NEW HRMS

Chapter 4

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hrm.com

Human Resources Management

Systems: A Practical Approach

By Glenn M. Rampton, Ian J. Turnbull, J.

Allen Doran

ISBN 0-459-56370-X
Carswell

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Planning Topics

the planning process

elements of project management
the steering committee
the project team
communications strategy
identifying and building-in critical
success factors
planning for the management of change
options - repair & refine, build, or buy
implementation of the plan
training and documentation issues
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HRMS Phases
planning
designing
developing
implementing
maintaining

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Project Planning
Project plans are established
to meet strategic, tactical,
and operational goals
Plans can be too broad, or
too detailed
Over-planning, or taking too
much time to plan, can doom a
project as can jumping into
developing a system without a
plan

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Planning (contd)
Planning is a pragmatic process,
with the aim of developing plans
that are effective and
efficient, not that are all
inclusive or perfect. Plans, like
their financial counterparts,
budgets, represent the planner's
best estimate at a specific point
in time.
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Planning (contd)
Plans should be flexible. It
is the realization of the
plan, through sound management
of it, including adjusting
for intangibles, and reacting
to resource changes, which
yields success
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Major Steps in Planning

Recognition of need for new HRMS

If there is an existing system, determine if it can
be modified at a reasonable cost.
If there is no system, or if the cost of modifying
it is not reasonable, conduct an analysis of whether
buying a system or building a system is preferred.
Prepare a detailed needs analysis.
Prepare a Request for Information (RFI) or Request
for Proposal (RFP) and send it to selected vendors.
Analyse the results, reducing the short-list until
only one or two options remain, and select finalist
product and vendor.
Negotiate price and conditions, while conducting
final vendor references, and financial review.
Select implementation project team.

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Project Management
Project management
combines planning with a
controlled use of
resources to develop and
implement specific end
results, or projects, such
as designing and
implementing a new HRMS
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Project planning must clearly specify

the following resources
time

(start/end dates)
people (identification;
specific skills they
bring to project;
availability; cost)
tools (equipment,
software)
money (budget)
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Project Monitoring
Project management requires a
planning and scheduling
methodology to manage and track
each component of the project
plan.
The ongoing tracking and
recording of activities and
results most distinguishes the
project management approach from
general management

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Software Tools Can Handle:

project

scheduling Every task/activity is integrated

into the project schedule by listing an estimate of
its start and end dates.
milestones These are time-limited events which
signify specific and significant progress
resource assignment Every person and piece of
equipment together with the cost of each must be
assigned to specific accomplishment of tasks.
Downtime or, in financial terms, indirect labour
(e.g., vacation; union business; maintenance; etc.)
is included where it is predictable
costs and budgets Resource costs are calculated and
amalgamated over the expenses that are estimated to
be required to accomplish each task
visual

representations There are between several different

visual methods for the representation of activities

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Visual Representation Tools

GANTT

Chart - a bar chart which

graphically displays the status of a
task based on time or money.
PERT - Program Evaluation and Review
Technique. PERT Charts illustrate the
relationships and dependencies between
different activities.
CPM - Critical Path Method.
CPM was
developed around the same time as was
PERT, and performs the same function.
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Communication
The communication of plans and project
status, both within a project team and
throughout the organization, requires
an inordinate amount of project time.
Communication is not just telling; it
is listening too. Peters (1987)
suggests that managers and team members
listening to one another, formally and
informally, is one of the critical
components of successful management.
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Communication (contd)

The project manager should be a strong

communicator - speaking, listening, and
writing effectively.
The involvement of all concerned is a key
component of success of the project
manager, project team, primary client, and
senior management. Not all need to be
equally involved, but the commitment which
comes from participation and being part of
the communication process is invaluable and
irreplaceable.
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Communication (contd)

This communication process encompasses the project

team, the steering team, and the organization as a
whole. Each must understand the project and have a
sense of how the results will be integrated into the
organization's business processes
in most projects, too little time is spent in selling
ideas, keeping all participants up to date, and
ensuring that each understand how the project fits
with regard to his or her interests and
responsibilities. Time spent ensuring that
participation is offered and occurs, like time spent
planning, is time well spent.

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Fostering Cooperation

involve key members of the project team in developing a

communication plan.
work with each team member to define how and when
communication will take place and how the team will work
together to solve problems that might arise on the project.
devise a strategy with each team member to help ensure that
information does not get lost, and to prevent ruffled
feathers that often occur when messages are miscommunicated
or omitted.
begin developing a communication plan as soon a new project
is undertaken, and update it as needed. Players often
change in the project universe. Develop new communication
strategies when this happens.Newcomers or replacement
project team members are often left out and cannot fully
contribute unless one takes time to involve them.

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Critical Project Success Factors

The organization's financial health

The organization's structure
The organization's culture - to ensure a climate
for success
The existence of a "mission champion"
The status and involvement of the project
manager
the existence of effective Project and Steering
Committees
whether clearly defined business needs have been
identified

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Success Factors (contd)

whether a formal documented plan has been

developed (HRMS projects cross functional
boundaries making great demands on all operational
departments. The complexity of the task demands
that a detailed documented plan exist and be used)
whether planning has been coordinated across
departments
the extent and quality of systems support
the age of, and satisfaction with the current
system
whether effective business process integration has
been conducted
Whether a realistic project budget has been
established

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Change

implementation of a new computer system,

while presenting challenges, also provides a
wonderful opportunity for the organization to
introduce larger measures of change than
might otherwise be the case
organizations and the people in them have
different tolerance levels with respect to
change, some may actively resist change
change occasions emotional responses which
cannot be overcome by the logic of an
engineered business process or detailed
project plan

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Change (contd)
One can overcome resistance to change by:

understanding individual and group

interests and power structures.
anticipating their concerns and
objections.
involving them in exploring "what's in it
for them?"

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Training and Documentation

In planning for the development and implementation

of a new HRMS, these two related functions are often
overlooked
Overriding concern for getting the system up and
running often leads to putting documentation and
training off to another time when there will be more
time and resources to devote to them
A complete, documented plan is key to the successful
implementation of any information system
The critical need to plan for systems training and
documentation should be identified early in the
planning for any HRMS

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Scheduling of Training

Training should be timely, that is, it should

be timed so that the individual can apply
what was learned as soon as possible after
the training was provided

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Scheduling of Training (contd)

Too often, for economic or other reasons,
individuals are scheduled for training when the
course is available, rather than when it is
needed, otherwise:
as individuals may be forced to flounder
around learning things by "trial and
error" that would be learned much more
quickly on the course
training may eventually be provided that
is no longer required
if those responsible for using and
maintaining the system become demotivated and give up when they could have
succeeded with appropriate and timely
training and development.

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Training Phases
Training needs analysis
Identification of media and methods of training
Training program development
Training conduct
Training Evaluation
Skill maintenance
Continued support for post-implementation
documentation and training

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The distinction between documentation and

training has become less distinct with
the advent of such innovations as:

user friendly data base management information

systems which do not require much technical
sophistication to programme and maintain data menus,
input screen, and reports
user instruction documentation and tutorials built
into the system to guide data base modification, and
data input and retrieval
graphical user interface (GUI) which on the one
hand, makes the purpose and use of various functions
more evident, and, on the other, has readily
available help facilities to provide assistance when
problems arise, or clarification is needed.

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Question 1
The strategic planning department of a Canadian
organization with about seven thousand employees, had
a data base specialist with a flair for producing ad
hoc data bases and reporting programmes. He could
produce very quick practical solutions to a broad
variety of problems. Users came to rely on these
solutions rather than bother with the longer time
frames and "bureaucracy" (including documentation)
that they encountered from MIS. This administrative
convenience and quick turn-around was not without a
cost however, in that there was very little
documentation on these ad hoc solutions, except in the
head of the programmer. What future problems do you
foresee for this organization? How might these be
avoided?

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Question 2
Why is it important to have training
specialists on the systems
development and implementation team
throughout?

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Question 3
Do small organizations of 50 - 100
employees need to establish a
project team? Is a dedicated project
manager realistic for such an
organization? Is a steering group
required? What are the similarities
and differences in the requirements
for such committees and the
leadership of them between small,
medium, and large organizations?
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