Originally posted August 26, 2013 HR Technology Implementation: The Path to Success | WeKnowNext.com.

The multitude of new HR systems and solutions currently on the market all promise to bring greater efficiencies to the way we conduct our talent management processes.  And as HR technology continues to evolve, so has the way these solutions are implemented.  Long gone are the days of on-premise implementations and heavy involvement from the IT department; as SaaS-delivered solutions have become the norm, organizations can simply implement a new system with the press of a button. But that doesn’t mean that they should.

Sure, those cutting-edge products may be user friendly and easy to turn on, but if you rush to use it right out of the box, several problems are likely to emerge. For instance, in the rush to implement a new, flashy solution, you may find that it doesn’t integrate with existing processes or systems or that it lacks the capabilities that the company needed. Alternately, you might be using the right functions, but in a way that doesn’t provide the full ROI.  At the same time, a short-sighted approach won’t always account for the other parties involved – the teams who must manage and maintain these systems, and the employees companywide who are impacted by a new system implementation.

The organizations that fail to take a multifaceted approach when launching a new HR system and address the full impact that such a change can have on the organization may be setting themselves up for failure later on. To ensure your HR technology adoption goes well, and that you get the most benefit from it, consider the following ideas:

• Conduct a Full Evaluation – Despite the ease in which a new system can be implemented, the company should still spend the time to evaluate the solution and ensure it can truly meet organizational needs for both today and tomorrow. How good is a solution that will only need to be replaced in a year or two? Though this may be time consuming, performing due diligence up front will help save time, money and stress should the solution fail to live up to its promise.
• Work with the Right Vendors – A new solution shouldn’t just be about the capabilities of the product; the vendor, and its relation with customers, should also be a key factor when selecting a new HR technology. Many vendors use the broken model of simply selling their software and walking away, without taking an active role in the implementation. However, by considering the vendor and how they work with customers before, during and after implementation can ensure the company uses the solution to greatest benefit, and gets the support they need on an ongoing basis.
• Employ Change Management Best Practices – In the rush to turn on a new solution, companies often neglect to prepare their organizations for the full impact that such a change can have on the entire organization.  The implementation of any new technology can drastically change workflows of the HR teams responsible for running, so ensuring all individuals involved understand why the new solution was adopted, how it will be used and what their role is should be an essential part of the process.

For companies to remain competitive and successful, they must be able to identify the latest technologies that can enhance the way their HR teams operation. But positive results are contingent upon not just attaining a new system, but knowing what you want from it and how it can deliver the expected results.  By fully understanding what the system can do, how to get maximum benefit from it and how to measure the outcomes, you can ensure your path to implementing a new HR technology is a successful one.