HRE Column: Some common questions (and even a few answers) about HR Tech

Here is my semi-frequent reminder and pointer for blog readers that I also write a monthly column at Human Resource Executive Online called Inside HR Tech that can be found here.

As usual, the Inside HR Tech column is about, well, HR Tech, (sort of like I used to write about all the time on this blog), and it was inspired by the recent presentation that Trish McFarlane and I gave at the SHRM Annual Conference, (note, you can find those slides here).

I once again kind of liked this month's column, (I suppose I like all of them, after all I wrote them), but felt like sharing this one on the blog because it touches upon what has been in the past a pretty popular topic with HR leaders today - how to make the most of their HR technology investments.

Here is an excerpt from the column, Common Questions About HR Tech:

At the recently concluded Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to co-present to a very large audience along with my HR Happy Hour Podcast co-host Trish McFarlane on the topic of HR technology implementations, and more specifically, on some of the most common myths surrounding the subject of HR technology more generally.

But rather than use this column to run through these myths and our ideas of how to “bust” them, I wanted to take some time to share and try and dig into some of the common questions I get when presenting on HR technology to HR audiences, in hopes that the questions that Trish and I received during and after the session are indicative of the broad questions and concerns that most HR professionals have about HR technology. And, by the way, if you are interested in the HR tech “myths” themselves, you can check out the slide deck that we used here.

Question No. 1: Is it better to have a single unified system for all of my HR processes, or should we look for the “best” solutions for each area and then integrate them later?

Our take: This question, whether a single system is preferable to several so-called “best-of-breed” solutions that support different process areas has been asked for about a decade now, perhaps longer. And the “answer” is still—unsatisfyingly—the same: “It depends.”

There are numerous and company-specific factors that influence whether the increased capability that many “best-of-breed” solutions say for process areas such as recruiting or learning are offset by the ease with which data is shared, if the user experience is common to all and the vendor-management process is simplified when using a single, unified system.

Each company has to think about how their workforces create value, their business strategy and then how these influence what kinds of technologies can support them. So there is no single “right” answer, but only a “right” answer for each organization, and this can only be found by prioritizing systems needs in light of where, how and through whom the organization drives value and results.

Read the rest over at HRE Online 

Good stuff, right? Humor me...

If you liked the piece you can sign up over at HRE to get the Inside HR Tech Column emailed to you each month. There is no cost to subscribe, in fact, I may even come over and wash your car or cut the grass for you if you do sign up for the monthly email.

Have a great Wednesday!

SLIDES: Busting the Common Myths in HR Technology - #SHRM15

I had a great time (early) this morning co-presenting along with Trish McFarlane at the SHRM Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Trish and I were really glad to see somewhere near 300 folks brave the 7AM start time to hear us talk about HR Technology and more specifically, HR Technology implementations.

The size of the crowd, the high level of attendee enthusiasm and engagement, and the really long line of folks who came up to chat after the session was completed was a great indicator of the continuing and increasing importance of technology to the HR professional.

The slide deck we shared is up on Slideshare and also embedded below, (Email and RSS subscribers may need to click through).

After the Contracts Are Signed: Busing the Most Common Myths in HR Technology from Steve Boese

The big messages that Trish and I shared were a few - that even in the age of modern SaaS technology platforms the fundamentals of great project management remain important. Executive support, a dedicated project team, intentional attention to change management, and making sure the 'right' users at all levels of the organization are appropriately engaged in the implementation project are just as important in 2015 as they were in 1995.

This was a fun session to present, and Trish and I want to thank everyone who came out this morning as well as the folks at SHRM for allowing us to be a part of the event.

We'd love any thoughts, comments, suggestions any one has on this deck as well!

The Top Three Reasons HR (or any) Tech Projects Fail

I am in the final stages of prep for my and Trish McFarlane's SHRM Presentation tomorrow on HR Technology Implementations which means that lately I have spent more time thinking about technology projects these last few weeks than I have in a while.

And while the presentation tomorrow won't specifically cover the reasons why projects typically fail, the idea of why HR (or any other enterprise technology) projects fail has crossed my mind more than a few times as we have prepped for the session tomorrow.

So since nothing matters unless it is blogged about, and since I have been thinking a lot about my experiences (successes and failures) with HR and other tech projects, I offer up for your consideration the Top Three reasons that HR tech projects can fail. Again, this is based on my experiences over the years, not on any official research or survey data. But I guess in a way it is a survey of sorts. Just with a smaller sample size, just me. So n = 1. 

Here goes:

1. Scope Issues - The project starts out as something simple, even manageable, say a new Applicant Tracking System for the USA offices. But then someone realizes the new technology has new hire onboarding capability and even integrates with third-party content systems to serve up learning content and wouldn't it be great to include these functions in addition to the ATS? And oh, since we are at it, why don't we lump in the Europe and Asia Pacific offices as well? And then suddenly the simple, scope controlled project is now a little out of control. And in my experience expansions of project scope are almost never met with commensurate expansion of things like time, budget, and resources. So projects that were staffed and planned for X become inadequate when the project becomes X + 1  (or 2 or 3).

2. Internal Resource Availability - This happens all the time. Let's say the project is the implementation of a new Payroll system, but many organizations will not dedicate the Payroll Manager 100% to the project, as she has her 'real' job to do. Sure, the project team has access to the Payroll Manager, but it is never enough, and the Payroll Manager is always getting dragged back into the day-to-day issues of her real job. So the project team has to wait around and waste time trying to figure out what they actually can get done. Pro Tip: find some way to backfill at least 50% of the job duties of important internal resources while the project is being implemented. Find a temp, find another less critical internal resource to step in, whatever. But so much time and money is lost on projects because expensive consultants and integration folks can't get access to the needed internal resources when they need them.

3. The 'We have to do it this way' guy - This last one is harder to spot initially than items 1 and 2, but is no less destructive. This is the manager or process owner that simply WILL NOT COMPROMISE on his or her pet issues, specifically ones where the new system/process requires some flexibility. I am not talking about mission-critical or must-have bits of functionality, but rather small things like titles, labels, or how a particular process flow works. The 'We have to do it this way' guy uses these issues as kind of a wedge to try and derail the process and project overall. And once this guy starts to get some traction, he will try to recruit others to his cause, and suddenly the project team has to justify their approached and decisions about every last little thing.

There are lots more ways that projects can run off of the rails, but these three are really the most common ones in my experience. Tomorrow at SHRM Trish and I will talk about these issues as well as a few others - hope to see some of you there!

PODCAST - #HRHappyHour 216 - Keeping HR Data Secure

HR Happy Hour 216 - Keeping HR Data Secure

Recorded Friday June 19, 2015

Hosts: Trish McFarlane, Steve Boese

Guest : Roland Cloutier, VP, Chief Security Officer, ADP

Listen to the show HERE

This week on the show, Steve and Trish were joined by ADP's Chief Security Officer, Roland Cloutier, for a fascinating discussion on organizational and employee data security.Roland discussed the primary issues and concerns that HR and business leaders have with data security, the best ways for HR leaders to engage with their solution providers and their internal teams when navigating issues of data security, and offered insights on how to continue to secure critical employee information in an environment of multiple systems, platforms, and data integrations.

This was an extremely lively and fun show, (don't let the dry-sounding topic fool you), about an important and timely issue facing all HR and business leaders today - keeping your employee and organizational data secure in an environment where threats to that data's security and integrity are just about everywhere.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or by using the widget player below:

Check Out Business Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Steve Boese Trish McFarlane on BlogTalkRadio

And of course you can listen to and subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast app. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to download and subscribe to the show and you will never miss a new episode.

Thanks to Roland and the team at ADP for making this important topic understandable, relatable, and yes, even kind of fun. Every HR leader's job is employee data security, and as such, you don't want to miss this discussion.

PODCAST - #HRHappyHour 215 - Operation Rob Lowe

HR Happy Hour 215 - Operation Rob Lowe

Recorded Wednesday June 10, 2015 at the Globoforce WorkHuman Conference

Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show Steve and Trish recorded the HR Happy Hour Show live at the first ever Globoforce WorkHuman Conference in Orlando, Florida. The event was definitely fun, definitely interesting, and definitely different, as it was much less about any specific technology but rather about work, workplaces and people's relationships with work and their colleagues.

From Improv sessions, to TED-style talks, to what was a (surprisingly to me anyway), really engaging and energetic keynote from actor Rob Lowe - this event left Steve and Trish with plenty to discuss. 

So tune in to the show to hear Steve accuse IBM of stealing his 'Culture-Strategy-Talent Triangle' concept, Trish then agree with Steve and then reverse the heat and disagree with him at the end, and what Rob Lowe had to say about the secret to building great work teams. Hint: It was more about 'Talent' than culture or strategy.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or using the widget player below:

Check Out Business Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Steve Boese Trish McFarlane on BlogTalkRadio

 

And of course you can listen to and subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast app. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to download and subscribe to the show and you will never miss a new episode.

This was a fun show and a fun event. Many thanks to the folks at Globoforce for having us at the event and definitely check out something from the Rob Lowe filmography this weekend.