(Feature #3 – WSR Apr-June 2018)

(Feature #3 – WSR Apr-June 2018)

feature Bob Greene, Ascentis

Bob Greene, Ascentis
HRMS Project
HRMS Project
HRMS Project Management
Management
Management
Review: “How
Review: Bob Greene, Ascentis
Review: “How Do You Eat an Elephant?”
Do You Eat an Elephant?”
“How Do time!” You
It’s an oldEat anyourElephant?”
joke that six-year-old might learn at school: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a
It’s an old joke that your six-year-old might learn at school: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a
time!” No matter how corny the punchline might be, it may be keeping a fair number of HR
No matter how corny the punchline might be, it may be keeping a fair number of HR
professionals up at night in 2018.
professionals up at night in 2018. in successful implementations, see the excel-
lent article in this issue by Sabrina Clay and
Karen Halladay).
Project management failures most typically
result in modules that never go live, or, when
they do go live, fail to address the process de-
ficiencies they were meant to resolve. Change
management failures are typified by modules
that, while they may run perfectly according
to plan, face ongoing poor utilization due to
slow user adoption. Let’s talk more about
project management and the state of that art
in 2018.
The scenario is common: you’ve gone through a massive and painstaking human capital management
(HCM) systems evaluation project. In addition
It’s toanHRMS,
old itjoke
mightthat
include any number
your of other modules,
six-year-old might
like Payroll, Recruiting, Time Management, and Talent Management. In selecting your winning vendor, The Fundamental Project Management
learnspend
perhaps you’ve just committed to an annual at school: utilization
“How
well in excess do due
youinto
of US$100,000 eat slow user adoption. Let’s talk more about project management and the
an elephant?
Software-as-a- “Triangle”
Service or software maintenance fees, and vendor or third-party
One bite at a time!” art in 2018.
consultant
No implementation fees at
matter how corny the Every software implementation project is
three to five times that first-year investment. And, what may be keeping you up at night are the two
most common reasons for the failures punchline might
of these types of be, it may
implementations: be inkeeping
failures project a fair
management, and failures in change management. (For some The Fundamental
excellent pointers on theProject
governed by a virtual triangle that informs,
Management “Triangle”
role that great
number of HR professionals up at night
change management plays in successful implementations, see the excellent article in this issue by
in and, ultimately, determines the inter-
Sabrina Clay and Karen Halladay.) 2018. Every software implementation project is governed by a virtual triangle that informs, and
relationship of the project’s three most crucial
Project management failures most typicallyTheresultscenario determines
in modules is
thatcommon: the
never go live, or,inter-relationship
you’ve
when gone
they do go of the project’s three most crucial elements: Time,
elements: Time, Resources, and Scope.
Res
The deficiencies
live, fail to address the process scenario is
they
through common:
were meant
a massive
to
Scope.you’ve
resolve.
and gone
Change through
management
painstaking a massive
failures and painstaking human capital management
are typified by modules that, while they may run perfectly according to plan, face ongoing human
poor
(HCM) systems
capital evaluation
management project.
(HCM) Insystems
additionevalu-
to HRMS, it might include any number of other modules,
like Payroll,
ationRecruiting,
project. InTime Management,
addition to HRMS,and Talent Management. In selecting your winning vendor,
it might
perhaps include
you’ve just committed to an annual
any number of other modules, like
spend well in excess of US$100,000 in Software-as-a-
Service or software maintenance fees, and vendor or third-party consultant implementation fees at
Payroll, Recruiting, Time Management,
three to five times that first-year investment. And, what may be keeping you up at night are the two
and Talent Management. In selecting your
most common reasons for the failures of these types of implementations: failures in project
winning vendor, perhaps you’ve just com-
management, and failures in change management. (For some excellent pointers on the role that great
mitted to an annual spend well in excess of
change management plays in successful implementations, see the excellent article in this issue by
US$100,000 in Software-as-a-Service or
Sabrina Clay and Karen Halladay.)
software maintenance fees, and vendor or Once a project’s parameters are set,
Project management failures
Once amost
third-party consultant typically
project’s result
parameters
implementation inare
fees modules
at set, that never
changing thosego factors
live, or,bumps
when they do go this unyie
up against
changing those factors bumps up against this
live, fail to address the process deficiencies
relationship. Does they were
management
three to five times that first-year investment. meant
want to
us resolve.
to bring Change
the management
project in earlier failures
than previously se
unyielding relationship. Does management
are typified by modules
And, what mayscopethat, while
must be
be keeping they
you may
reduced run perfectly
or resources
up at night are want according to plan, face ongoing poor
must be added. If neither happens, the quality of th
us to bring the project in earlier than
likely to suffer. Does management
the two most common reasons for the failures previously want us to use fewer resources (for example, internal
set? Either the scope must be
dollar expenditure for external
of these types of implementations: failures in assistance)? Either the scope must be narrowed or the tim
reduced or resources must be added. If
extended.
project management, andIffailures
neitherin happens,
change the quality of the outcome is likely to suffer. And, if manag
neither happens, the quality of the outcome
management. (For some excellent pointers on is likely tolive
expand scope, e.g., to bring more modules in Phase 1 than previously planned, then
suffer. Does management want
additional resources must
the role that great change management plays be added, or the timeline must be extended. Once again, if ne
us to
the quality of the outcome will likely suffer. use fewer resources (for example,

10 Identifying
April-June 2018 • Workforce Solutions Review • www.ihrim.org the Critical Path
internal staff or hard dollar expenditure for
external assistance)? Either the scope must be
narrowed or the timeline must be extended.
If neither happens, the quality of the outcome
is likely to suffer. And, if management wants
to expand scope, e.g., to bring more modules
live in Phase 1 than previously planned, then
either additional resources must be added, or
the timeline must be extended. Once again, if
neither happens, the quality of the outcome
will likely suffer.
Identifying the Critical Path
There’s another long-standing (if
not ancient) quip that spotlights the
importance of the “critical path” in HRMS
implementation projects: “If it takes one
woman nine months to have a baby, can
nine women have that baby in one month?”
Obviously, a silly line, but it illuminates the
fact that some “projects” rely on a sequence
of tasks that build upon each other (with
apologies to the biologists who read this and
abhor the simplification here!) and cannot be
brought to parallel scheduling no matter how
much we’d like to do so.
Despite the fact that you are looking
to deliver a bouncing, healthy new HCM
environment for your company, and not a
child, the principal remains: throughout your
planned project, certain tasks cannot reliably
begin until key predecessor tasks or decision-
making are complete. The classic example in
most HRMS/Payroll projects is organizational
“roll-up” and reporting levels: these decisions
are usually so fundamental to everything
from labor distribution to general ledger; or
financial interfaces to standard reporting and
workflow approval routings that:
1. They are virtually always scheduled very
early in the project;
2. They require a high level of collaboration
from various stakeholders to ensure full
representation in the decision-making;
and,
3. Most other tasks may not be able to
proceed until this one is complete.
In almost every implementation project,
some critical path tasks remain hidden from
view. For this reason (and others) most
project managers consider the use of formal
project management software an absolute
must to manage their projects. So, when
selecting a project management (PM) software
product, in addition to looking for all the
latest “bells and whistles,” like dynamic Gantt
charting, mobile accessibility, and integrations
with the latest collaboration tools like Dropbox
or Google Drive, project managers should
not neglect to check on the classic functions
that PM software products have been offering
forever – key among them is the identification
of a project’s critical path and warning systems
in case of divergence from that path or when
key critical path tasks are in trouble.
Project Organization:
The PMO Concept
There are many ways to organize an
HRMS – or any software – implementation
project. Twenty years ago, these projects were
typified by a team that might be assigned
to a single large conference room, daily
meetings, bookcases lined with new system
documentation in loose-leaf binders, and
the requisite fax machine for sending and
receiving documents and project management
reports in a hurry.
Things have changed quite a bit. Today,
the project team might have members from
across the country, if not from around the
world. Meetings are virtual and printed
system documentation has largely gone the
way of the dodo bird.
Something else has changed fundamentally
as well. And, it wouldn’t necessarily be seen
by looking around that project conference
room. It might be in the “pedigree” of the
project leader. Twenty years ago, the project
leader for such a large HRMS implementation
project would likely be an influential member
of HR management, in part because of their
innate understanding of the requirements
they are addressing with the new system, and
in part because of their “built-in” authority
with the project team members as their
manager or director. Those attributes are
important, but that project leader might
have been missing an even more important
attribute: experience with large scale project
management.
Today, we have professional project
www.ihrim.org • Workforce Solutions Review • April-June 2018 11

About the Author
Bob Greene currently serves as
channels manager and account
executive at Ascentis. His 40 years PMO approach are that not everyone needs
in the human capital management
industry have been spent as a
practitioner, a consultant, and in
vendor/partner roles. As a prac-
titioner, he managed payroll for a
5,000 person bank in New Jersey.
As a consultant, he spent eight
years advising customers in HRMS, software product configuration. It is a more
and payroll and benefits system
design, as well as acquisition
strategies. He also built a strategic in organizations coordinating many such
HCM advisory practice for Xcelicor projects a year.
(now Deloitte Consulting.) As ven-
dor/partner, he has had prominent
roles in sales support, marketing,
and product management. He
recently completed six years as
contributing editor for IHRIM’s
Workforce Solutions Review journal question: Is the implementation support team
and holds a B.A. in English from
Rutgers University.
He can be reached at
bob.greene@ascentis.com.
12 April-June 2018 • Workforce Solutions Review • www.ihrim.org
managers. They are typified by a history of
enterprise project implementation experience
and success; and perhaps by their designation
of project management professional (PMP).
When organizations today rotate dedicated
project managers into their software
implementation projects, and supplement
them with subject matter experts from
other departments on a “just-in-time” basis
as they’re needed to complete key project
tasks, this is known as a project management
office (PMO) approach. The key benefits of a
to be assigned to the project, linearly, from
beginning to end, and the dedicated project
leader manages the project without necessarily
needing to know “everything about everything”
when it comes to the requirements and final
efficient use of project personnel, particularly
Is the PMO approach right for your orga-
nization? It’s an important question worth
answering before finalizing a new project’s
team structure. And, here’s another important
provided by your new HRMS vendor orga-
nized using PMO principles as well? This may
become important to you if you determine
that your chosen vendor’s implementation
resources handle a high number of projects
concurrently, since proper administration of
PMO organization allows busy or overbur-
dened project teams to stretch their re-
sources, because those resources are brought
into individual projects on a “shared service”
basis.
But remember, proper PMO administration
requires that resources “arrive” to the project
on schedule. If, for example, the critical
path indicates that Payroll/General Ledger
integration must begin this coming Monday
to meet our upcoming first payroll live date,
but the integration specialist from the vendor,
or perhaps a third-party implementation
consulting firm, is not available for two more
weeks due to a delay in another project’s
schedule, this is where the PMO approach
can potentially flip from being an asset to the
project to being a liability.
The Role of Technology
Considering that what HRMS
implementation projects are intended to do is
to modernize and upgrade technology, some
of these projects rely on surprisingly outdated
technology for project mechanics. Consider
the following:
• If the HRMS being implemented includes
employee portal communications (intended
to replace a more generic corporate intranet
capability like SharePoint), can that portal
be repurposed during the implementation,
i.e., prior to go-live, to house key project
documentation, facilitate communications,
and provide one-click access to project
management software?
• If the HRMS being implemented includes
a learning management module, can
that learning management system be
repurposed during the implementation
to deliver training to the project team,
and then to administrators and manager
self-service users? This can be particularly
valuable for a decentralized and
geographically diverse workforce.
• To what extent has the HRMS vendor,
and/or the third-party implementation
consulting firm, if used, incorporated
the latest technology into their project
management infrastructure? This should,
at a minimum, include access to the
project management tracking software
(for project team members to update their
assigned tasks), but also such additional
current technologies as embedded instant
messaging, mobile apps, etc.
Summary
The way we manage HRMS implementation
projects in 2018 is certainly different than the
way we did 20, or even 10 years ago. While
some governing principles haven’t – and
likely will not – change (the fundamental
project management triangle, the importance
of the critical path), other key concepts have
evolved to reveal new best practices (the
PMO approach, use of the latest “technology
to implement technology,” etc.) that smart
project managers should seek to leverage.
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