Implementing a new Human Resource Information System can help organizations automate routine tasks, focus on more strategic initiatives, streamline HR processes, and improve the accuracy and efficiency of their data management processes.

However, HRIS implementations can get a little complicated, oftentimes requiring careful planning, training, and collaboration between teams and areas of the organization…

Read on to learn more about HRIS implementation processes, as well as where our team of senior-level HRIS consultants can fit in your organization (and help you make the most out of your new software investment.)

What is an HRIS?

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a software designed to help companies manage their core HR processes more effectively across teams and business units and facilitate more efficient data management across the entire HR system.

Implementing HR software can enable HR departments to…

  • Use better employee data and advanced HR analytics capabilities to improve decision-making processes across the organization
  • Facilitate better data management, migration, and exchange throughout the entire company
  • Maintain data integrity and ensure the right employees have access to necessary HR data in the right place at the right time
  • Integrate core HR processes, including Payroll, Time and Attendance, and Talent Management functions, in one place
  • Simplify task management and enhance engagement across the HR department with intuitive user interfaces and employee and manager self-service tools

Why is HRIS Software Important?

1) Accurate

HRIS software typically makes it easier for companies to streamline their HR processes and reduce risks for error when it comes to manually entering, migrating, or managing important data. And, with more accurate employee and HR data in your new and existing systems, your company can simplify task management for everyday business operations and eliminate duplication across your organization.

2) Organized

Well-defined HRIS systems help your organization manage business processes and outline employee responsibilities more efficiently and improve data management functions across teams, departments, and other areas of the organization.

3) Integrated

With HRIS software, companies are enabled to integrate their most important business processes, including Payroll, Time and Attendance, Recruiting, and Onboarding, to ensure their existing system and any new solutions operate properly with each other and stakeholders can reap the benefits of seamlessly connected technology.

4) Transparent

Outdated systems make it more difficult to keep up with important employee information, manage employee roles and responsibilities, and facilitate data integration across business units. But, with a new HR system, users can leverage a single source of truth and integrated business processes to improve data transparency and keep employees in the loop throughout the entire process.

Common HRIS Implementation Challenges

Implementing any new software brings its own sets of challenges with it, so ensuring your team is aware of common challenges associated with a new HR system and prepared to combat any issues in the implementation phase is critical to your success.

Here are a few of the most common challenges related to the HRIS implementation process…

System Configuration

When it comes to managing the implementation process for a new HR system, understanding the necessity of each feature or tool included in the solution and finding the right way to configure your system to make the most of your investment is crucial.

From deciding which components of the new system are needed for your team to configuring your software to automatically print and send reports in your HR department, setting up notifications to keep everyone up-to-date with system progress, and anything else in between, understanding complex configuration needs is an implementation challenge that must be conquered to achieve success.

Change Management

Change management is one of the most important (and challenging) aspects of any implementation process, and it must be addressed properly to ensure your new Human Resources Information System is set up correctly and adopted by key stakeholders.

During change management processes, HR employees and managers will need to communicate and collaborate with each other to ensure the new system operates properly and employees understand their roles and responsibilities, including asking these questions…

  • Why is a new Human Resource Management system necessary?
  • What changes will the new system bring to each department?
  • How will individual employees be affected by a new HRIS system?
  • What steps need to be taken to ensure proper system adoption across teams?

Data Security and Compliance

As cloud-based HRIS solutions gain more traction for companies across a wide range of industries, it’s important to consider the management of data security and regulatory compliance throughout the entire implementation process.

On one hand, understanding what data security management processes are in place and taking the necessary precautions to secure employee data, authorize worker permissions, and ensure data stays protected across the organization can be a make-or-break factor in your success.

And, on the other, ensuring that data is utilized properly and all requirements are met can be the difference in successful Human Resources operations and those susceptible to audits and penalties.

Employee Training

Making the most of your investments and optimizing the functionality of your HRIS systems is critical to your success, but that can only happen if employees and managers are properly educated and trained on each component of the software.

So, when managing HRIS implementations across your organization, consider defining and outlining implementation plans for HR professionals and other staff members, involving employees in the implementation and adaptation process, and taking the necessary time to teach each team how to use the system in the most efficient way possible.

Preparing for Your HRIS Implementation Process

Here are a few key considerations to ensure your team is prepared for a new HRIS solution and a plan is outlined to keep everyone on the same page from Day One…

Outlining Project Objectives

  • Define the purpose for your new HRIS implementation project
  • Establish key project goals and objectives
  • Outline the scale, scope, timeline, and budget for the implementation
  • Identify stakeholders that will be affected by a new HR system
  • Evaluate the measurement of success for each phase and component of the project

Choosing an HRIS Vendor

  • Conduct research on all HRIS vendors (i.e., Workday, UKG, Infor Lawson, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, etc.) that meet your organizational and implementation budget needs
  • Evaluate vendor reputations and customer experiences to make a more informed decision
  • Select a software provider whose core components and capabilities meet your business and project requirements
  • Establish software support resources to ensure your software is implemented, adopted, and managed properly across the organization

Building a Project Management Team

  • Assess the roles and responsibilities for members of the project management team
  • Find the right employees, managers, HR staff, and IT staff to fill each position
  • Assign leadership roles to capable employees to facilitate collaboration between teams
  • Ensure each team member understands their roles and takes the necessary steps to complete tasks and achieve success
  • Establish clear communication channels to keep everyone on the same page

Creating a Plan for Your New HRIS

  • Outline goals, objectives, and measures of success for your new HRIS software
  • Define project scope, timeline, budget, deliverables, and implementation steps
  • Create checklists for each phase of the implementation process, including data migration, configuration, system testing, and employee training
  • Ensure your project team has the resources needed to complete each step of the process and successfully implement the new technology

Steps to Follow for a Successful Implementation

1) Assess current business processes.

To conduct a successful HRIS implementation project, you need to ensure that everyone involved in project planning or implementation processes is aware of the current state of your business processes and understands the Human Resource Management needs that will be met with a new HRIS system.

Will your new HR software need to be connected to your existing Payroll or Financial Management systems? Is your main HRIS implementation goal to eliminate manual tasks and speed up business processes? Assessing these key questions and the ways in which your current business processes don’t meet these expectations is a critical step in preparing your HR department for implementation success.

2) Establish a budget and project timeline.

An essential factor in measuring the success of an HRIS implementation project involves determining whether or not the project was completed on time and within budget.

And, while well-defined budgets and realistic timelines are not the be-all, end-all for the success of your new HR system, your team’s ability to follow such guidelines can make quite a difference in the efficiency of your new system and the optimization of your technology investment.

3) Plan and prepare for implementation.

Whether you’re implementing a new HRIS solution throughout a single HR department or deploying a comprehensive system across all departments and locations in your organization, proper planning and preparation are essential for a successful implementation process.

From assembling a project implementation team with the right skills and experience for the job to establishing clear communication channels between team members, determining roles and responsibilities of each employee, and developing an implementation plan that outlines and defines timelines, budgets, and steps for each phase of the project, planning is a step that cannot be overlooked (for any kind of project or team.)

4) Configure, migrate, test.

Now that your team has outlined plans for implementation and determined which individuals are responsible for each phase of the project, you need to configure your new system to meet your organization’s requirements, including setting up user roles and permissions, creating custom data fields, and facilitating integrations between other applications and tools.

This phase of the process also involves cleaning, validating, and migrating important data from your organization’s existing data system to the new HRIS to ensure data accuracy and integrity, and thoroughly testing the new HRIS software to identify areas of improvement and test the system’s functionality across the organization.

5) Conduct training for your HR team.

Once your new HRIS software is live and available for all employees and managers, it’s important to ensure each member of your organization understands the new system and how to complete tasks assigned to them.

With comprehensive training sessions that cover the system’s key features, functionality, and operations across your organization and ongoing performance monitoring resources, your organization can train employees, conduct post-implementation testing, monitor employee and system performance, and provide continuous support for employees in one place.

6) Evaluate success.

After all initial implementation phases are complete, your team needs to evaluate project success, measure its impact on employee engagement and productivity, identify areas of improvement, and make necessary adjustments to ensure your system continues operating as expected, no matter what.

Main Advantages of Connected HR Processes

  • Increased Efficiency: Streamline HR processes (i.e., Payroll, Time and Attendance, Benefits Administration, and Employee Data Management) by automating specific tasks and enabling HR staff to focus on strategic initiatives and project plans that contribute to organizational success in the future.
  • Improved Data Accuracy: Reduce the risk of data errors by providing a centralized location where HR staff can enter, update, and access data in real-time and ensure all accuracy and consistency within the data is maintained.
  • Better Decision Making: Offer access to comprehensive data analytics and reporting tools to enable HR staff members to make more informed decisions related to employee engagement, productivity, performance, and retention.
  • Enhanced Employee Experience: Improve employee experiences by providing self-service tools for tasks such as personal data management, time-off requests, and benefits enrollment, and allowing employees to access their information in real-time to free up HR staff to focus on more important tasks.
  • Better Compliance: Provide advancing automation and monitoring capabilities to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, such as statewide labor laws or overtime restrictions.
  • Reduced Costs: Reduce costs associated with HR processes by automating manual tasks, reducing the need for paper-based processes, and providing data analytics tools to identify areas for improvement and cost savings.

How Can We Help?

Whether you need help defining goals for your new HRIS implementation project, an extra hand navigating complex integrations between your new and existing solutions, or additional support ensuring your internal stakeholders remain committed to the project plan through the end of your project timelines, Surety Systems is here to help.

Our team of senior-level HRIS consultants has the technical skills, functional expertise, and wide range of experience needed to lead you to success, regardless of the complexity of your organizational structure, design of your user interface, or goals of your implementation project.

Getting Started with Us

Interested in learning more about our HRIS consulting services? Need help choosing the right HRIS system for your organization’s needs?

Contact us today to get started!