The Fallacy of HRMS Evaluations

Are you evaluating HRMS ? If yes, this is a must read.
I recently met a friend of mine, who was wondering what went wrong with their HR Implementation ? They started in the right earnest, allocated all resources, yet the HRMS project failed to impact !!!
Who is to blame ? Software ?? Implementation partner?? the organization implementing it or people who are behind it ?

A lot has to do with the preparation that goes into identifying which system would best meet the requirements. Lets see where it all starts.

An organization identifies its need for HRMS and the IT / HR team starts interacting with Vendors and implementation partners (System integrators or SI) as they are called.
The process of creating requirement is the first step, normally referred to as the RFP or RFI. This is the first and most critical step, however Organizations are in a fix here...they dont have an iota of idea what the system can do for them, so the best method is to get a system study done by the SI, what is not however kept in mind here while creating the RFP document is how the system would potentially impact processes in future. So system is made for today, while the organization is looking at the future when it wants to implement it !!! Quite a Paradox, isn't it ?

It does not end here, based on these RFP specs, Demo requirements are identified. Vendors and / or Implementation partners use their skills and knowledge of the product to do the demos. However,when an organization actually implements, its user requirements and not features that take precedence. Another case of incorrect evaluation.

If thats the case, how should organizations actually evaluate systems ?

1. Whats best for others, may not be the best for you !! Select your own criteria and define your own needs.

2. Define the outcomes and work backwards on what would fit best.

3. Set up a dedicated team early enough to aid the project.

4. Identify a project sponsor (internal) for project to run smoothly.

For the project to be evaluated successfully (also rightly), the following must be adopted.

1. Identify a core evaluation team.

2. Identify requirements (current and future) and create a RFP based on that.

3. Give weightage to the product evaluation, implementation partner skills and the resource utilization. (After all you want a successful implementation).

4. Define a total score taking into consideration various factor and weightages for evaluation.

5. Identify a system evaluator (if you dont have the skills inside your organization).

A successful project has its foundation on strong evaluation. What organizations need to do is to balance their current environment with future requirements. If thats done, implementations would be more successful.