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Performance Management

Published October 2008

Obey the Push to Automate

 

  Guy Gauvin

For some, the prospect of an enterprise-wide technology implementation is daunting. They often are seen as risky undertakings that eat valuable time and resources, and determining whether a project is a success can be difficult.

Further, if talent managers don't follow the right implementation recipe from the outset, a talent management software project can quickly hit roadblocks.

Taking time at the beginning to assess overall implementation readiness and follow best practices can greatly enhance the chances for success. What follows are some easy ways to help get a tech project started right, and then maintain the momentum needed to see it through to completion.

Get Off on the Right Foot

Gain executive sponsorship: The first step in any major project should be to secure approval from senior-level management. Senior leaders can clear obstacles and make the necessary resources available. Achieving senior-level management sponsorship is based on creating alignment between HR and the executive team so they fully understand the value of the talent management solution.

One way to ensure this critical buy-in is to sign on an executive-level sponsor, make his or her role clear and continue to show how a successful outcome for the project will benefit the sponsor and the organization. Having a project champion in a different business unit or geography also can help get senior management to embrace the project. Project champions are well-respected in the organization and provide an additional layer of confidence that the new project is the right thing to do.

Perform risk assessment: Smooth, successful technology implementations also begin with a thorough risk-and-impact analysis. This means evaluating all aspects of the project including scope of deployment, span of control of the project lead and percentage of the team assigned full time to the project. This helps project leads understand areas of strength, identify areas that need improvement and things that, if left unattended, could negatively impact the overall outcome. Teams should work with the talent management solution vendor to examine the results of the risk assessment and come up with ways to mitigate any potential negative impacts.

Promote communication: Projects thrive on the free flow of information, so it's imperative to draft a communications plan as early as possible. The plan must not only include how and when to communicate goals and progress, it should also outline a plan to communicate what the new system will mean for end users — not just how they will use it, but how their roles and their day-to-day work lives will be affected. Further, different audiences have different needs concerning project information. For example, a recruiter will need to have more detail and more frequent communication than a hiring manager, depending upon the stage of the project.

Build the team: With the preliminary groundwork done, it's time to build a dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable project team. This can be a challenge because resource scarcity is something many businesses face. Although there may be great opportunities for employees to stretch their skills and work on something new and exciting, special initiatives require executive endorsement so resources are prioritized accordingly. Otherwise, special assignments may be viewed by some as extra work.