Developing a Strategic Approach to HR Technology

Any good business leader will tell you all business initiatives must be undertaken with a strategic ...



Posted by Berkshire on July 15 2014
Berkshire

Any good business leader will tell you all business initiatives must be undertaken with a strategic view, a clear vision, and measurable goals. This is especially true when it comes to a technology initiative—especially HR technology—because it impacts the most sensitive areas of business.

Many HR and compliance professionals face the task of bringing their companies’ operations up-to-date—revamping existing technology, filling operational gaps with new technology, streamlining processes, and engaging their workforces at higher levels. This task can be both exciting and overwhelming. To manage it effectively, and gain buy-in from the rest of the executive team and HR colleagues, having a strategic plan and approach is vital.

Here are five steps to developing a strategic approach to implementing new HR technology to revamp your business operation:

1. Develop a Business Objective

  • Create a one sentence write-up of your ultimate goal of implementing the new technology. If it takes more than one sentence, go back to the drawing board. An example of this would be, “Streamline key HR functions and information to provide accurate and timely information to managers and staff using as much automation as acceptable.” This is a broad objective but you can replace “key HR functions” with something more specific to your project, such as hiring process automation, compliance management, etc.

2. Create a vision with the process in mind

  • Create a vision chart in a simple picture format of a solution you have visualized in your mind. Create process and data charts to help make the vision easier to understand.

  • Research every aspect of your vision without locking into any technology or a solution. For example, if you are looking to automate your hiring process, look for:

    • solutions and their general capabilities,

    • what the solution entails,

    • a range of cost and resources required,

    • how it would integrate with your existing technologies, and

    • what other processes and systems will be impacted.

  • Keep process and data flow in mind when creating this vision chart, and don’t just focus on the technology behind the function. The technology platform change can be a critical component which should be taken into account. For example, moving from an in-house client/server based technology to a hosted cloud-based technology.

  • Translate the vision chart into a written functional component chart for your tactical plan (see a simplified example below).

hiring automation

3. Define your audience and user community

  • It will be your responsibility to communicate and translate your vision to people across your organization of varied backgrounds, interests, and motivations.

  • Identify your audience groups—people who need to be convinced of your vision.

  • Identify the user community that will be affected by the implementation of change.

  • Define the type of people who can be your project ambassadors among your audience and user community.

 4. Define your sales strategy 

  • Sell it to yourself first. Make sure you buy every aspect of the initiative.

  • This is the most crucial step to the success of your project. Start with “So, what is in it for them” (SWIIIFT). If people do not understand SWIIIFT, your project is doomed before you go to the next step.

  • Write down every bullet point you can think of how the company will benefit from this initiative. For example, managers will be able to approve a requisition using their mobile device from anywhere, anytime; the company will save money posting jobs on free sites; there will be accurate and reliable centralized data for compliance, reduced liability, etc.

  • Categorize benefits by the audience and the user—make sure there is something for everyone you are going to pitch it to.

 5. High level Execution Plan

  • Once the idea is sold, people will want to know your execution plan. Have a high level execution plan ready to share, and also to look back on after the project is implemented.

  • The components of a high level execution plan include: money, resources, and a timeline. Have a good understanding of all three components before you propose the plan to anyone. Don’t commit to any of those numbers, but have sufficient research done prior to sharing the plan. (An example of components chart for a high-level execution plan is below)

  • Break your plan into short and long-term if needed.

  • Put it all down in a flashy PowerPoint presentation. 

functional components

Before you start talking about your strategic plan of revamping the technology, you must have a tactical plan in place. Do not start selling or discussing your strategic plan outside of your immediate team (you and your boss), before you develop a “high level tactical plan.” Because of human nature, there will inevitably be people that want to find what’s wrong with the plan, and some will be too narrowly focused on how this will impact them. So you must have a high-level tactical plan ready before you present your Strategic Approach to HR Technology Implementation Plan.

To find out how Berkshire’s BALANCEworks suite of applications can bring your processes up-to-date while saving you time and resources, click here.

For more information on Human Resources and Technology, read Take Advantage of HR Software in 2014 or contact Berkshire Associates at 800.882.8904 or email bai@berkshireassociates.com

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