How do you successfully manage change as part of an HRIS project?
As with any project involving a change of tool within a company, upgrading a human resources information system necessarily entails profound changes in the practices and habits of its users.
This is why change management for an HRIS cannot be carried out without a clearly defined strategy, especially as it affects most of the company's departments (payroll, leave and absence management, recruitment, training, etc.).
How do you organise and support the change to ensure the successful implementation of an HRIS? If properly orchestrated, this approach will aim to remove obstacles, reassure and prepare for the transition to your new tool, focusing in particular on individuals.
From essential communication to training, let's explore all the key stages in getting your employees on board and making your transformation project a success!
What is change management?
Change management refers to the strategies and resources implemented to resolve the problems associated with a major change in the processes or tools used in a company up to now.
The aim of this methodical, collaborative approach is to overcome all the factors resisting change, with a view to encouraging end-users to adopt the tool, in our case the HRIS.
How do you support HRIS change?
Change management does not begin once the change has taken place: it is anticipated, prepared for and organised upstream of the project.
Here are the different stages that will help you to facilitate the implementation of your future HRIS, before, during and even after its introduction.
Step 1: estimate the impact of your HRIS project
This preparatory stage is essential to ensure that future changes to internal practices and processes are accepted. To do this, carry out an audit of the existing system to identify the problems encountered, the shortcomings and anything that needs improving.
The results can be used to draw up your HRIS specifications, which precisely define the scope of your project. You should also detail the positive changes that the tool will bring (time savings, cost reductions, productivity improvements, etc.), at company-wide level.
Carrying out an impact analysis will enable you to justify the merits of your project at a later date.
Step 2: Create strategic support
Gather together people, from within or outside the HRIS project team, who will be involved in managing the change. Share your vision with them, so that they can relay it throughout the company and give meaning to the project.
For example, set up a dedicated working group, within which you appoint a project manager (or change leader), to decide on the strategy and resources to be implemented to support the change and facilitate team buy-in.
Your support can also come from the Finance and IT Directors, who can help you to present your project to your management, and to obtain their support and the appropriate resources.
Step 3: Communicate widely
Communication is the key to successful change management. A lack of information, misunderstanding or even preconceived ideas can lead to stress, doubts and rejection of the introduction of a new HRIS.
That's why you need to communicate as early as possible about the project to change your HRIS, even if you're just starting to think about it. This will help to prepare the ground, and give free rein to initial feedback and any questions that may arise, so that the changes to come are better accepted .
Tips for organising your communication around the HRIS project:
- Adopt clear communication, adapted to everyone in the company ( avoiding less accessible technical terms );
- circulate information not only to HR teams, but also to all employees, at least in summary form;
- Argue and explain the reasons why you need to change the tool, including a sense of urgency to justify its priority and necessity;
- Specify the stages and key dates of the project, as well as the people involved, their roles and responsibilities;
- Communicate your vision to show that this project is part of the company's overall strategy and will help to improve the efficiency of the entire organisation.
Step 4: Involve your staff
Your employees, and in particular the end users, need to feel involved and concerned right from the start of the HRIS project and throughout its duration. The aim of this approach? To co-construct their future tool, so that it is as adapted as possible to their practices.
Tips for engaging teams throughout the project and over the long term:
- arouse their interest in the project by conveying a positive image of their day-to-day work with the new tool;
- listen carefully to their needs : get their feedback on how they are currently using the new tool, and transcribe it from a practical perspective;
- Involve them in the choice of tool and publisher, by refining the criteria you have identified in a collaborative way;
- encourage collective intelligence: solicit their opinions, discuss the methodology to be adopted, encourage the emergence of ideas and proposals, etc.
Regular consultation with the teams and involving them in the decision-making process will make it easier to get as many people on board as possible, so that everyone becomes a sponsor of the project in their own right.
Step 5: Organise training
To help your teams get to grips with the new tool, draw up a training plan:
- the training schedule
- the content, to be customised for each type of user, depending on the services and their specific uses,
- the training format and materials,
- the people responsible for running the sessions: experts, consultants, in-house members, or the use of training in the tool offered by the HRIS publisher,
- setting up a test environment to enable the tool to be appropriated before a real-life situation, etc.
💡Also provide reference material, such as user guides that can be consulted at any time, to reassure users. Make sure that this documentation is easily accessible, exhaustive and as clear as possible.
Step 6: Set up a monitoring system
Define performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor your change management process, check that it is running smoothly and fine-tune your approach:
- Is the chosen operating method proving effective?
- Are the tests conclusive?
- What feedback have the key user groups received? What can be changed based on their feedback?
- Is the training followed? complete? useful?
Assess the real impact of the project, and adopt a continuous improvement approach. Pick out the positive points, what didn't work so well, and take stock. This feedback from the project can be formalised and shared, to enrich the company's project culture.
Managing change management like a project
All in all, change management is both a key stage in the HRIS project, and an approach that can be managed as a project in its own right.
To do this, you need to draw on a genuine project management methodology, and define a change management plan, complete with objectives, players, resources, indicators and tools.
Finally, don't forget that internal communication is the foundation of your success. How do you go about organising the success of your HRIS project?