It takes consistent planning to keep an HR adoption process efficient and accurate. Forming a budget and appropriate timetable are essential for making sure a new information system is launched properly, but this could also be enforced by an HR system consulting specialist that understands the changing needs of companies and will coordinate HR project management so a short-term operation doesn’t last longer than it should.
The consequences of an unchecked systems plan are very real and could hurt a company’s overall resources if care isn’t taken from the start. The University of California provides an example of this accumulated cost, as it is currently massively behind schedule on a payroll system called UCPath, because it encompasses “payroll, academic personnel, timekeeping and human resources.”
According to the Modesto Bee, the University has been struggling with an ambitious overhaul that has left them far behind the original schedule. Though the institution has acknowledged the need to update their technology, which is more than 30 years old, the initial estimated cost has grown by more than $50 million. The university is relying on loans to finance implementation.
Prolonging an HR systems update for too long also puts a company at risk of alienating employees and making them feel underserved, especially if the new solution would impact them directly. The Daily Bruin quotes UC Santa Barbara professor Chris Newfield, who believes the debt the University is accruing for this project negates the ultimate benefits.
“When you’re borrowing for 20 years for an efficiency program that may save a fraction of 1 percent of your total (payroll) budget, you might want to admit you made a mistake,” the professor said.
Work with an HR consulting service to address systems concerns from the beginning and prevent a scheduled project from going on for too long and becoming a major barrier for productivity.