HR Matters talked to Sarina Anuar, Human Resources Manager at Qualitas Medical Group, to find out what this technology initiative was about.

HRIS System
For an organisation that has a nationwide spread, so is the reach of their IT infrastructure. The Human Resource Information System (HRIS), though, a relatively small part of the overall IT space within the organisation, plays a key role from an organisation information perspective as it helps to drive the HR operations which are vital to the organisation. As it allows for organisational growth and development, its significance is quite strategic.

Sarina shared with us her experiences in implementing the HRIS at Qualitas en route to streamlining and reengineering core operational processes for increased efficiency.

Selection
To start with, the search for the right package to be acquired gained speed after she joined Qualitas in mid-2007. The existing system had many limitations and was unable to do a few things that were desperately needed for management reporting.

There was a distinct evaluation process with a few vendors presenting their software and this helped to get a first- hand feel for the respective applications. On top of this, feedback from existing clients of the respective vendors was also taken into consideration.

“Another factor that helped in the selection was that I had already prior experience of the current HRIS at my previous workplace”, says Sarina.

Implementation
The selected vendor worked through a well-defined implementation methodology, which was closely followed and helped to deliver the system within the promised timeline. The closely aligned process starting from the requirement study, through gap analysis to training, user acceptance testing and finally live deployment took approximately six months.

The most important aspect of the implementation methodology was the identification of gaps in the current process vis-à-vis the new system and the resolution of those gaps, either through re-engineering work processes or through customisation of a particular feature or functionality. The resolutions were documented and this served as the blueprint for the entire HRIS implementation.

The training and User Acceptance Tests (UATs), which followed the gap resolution, were thus quite effective as the blueprint served to save valuable time, as well as complete the entire project on schedule.

Challenges
One of the major challenges was the time, rather the paucity of it, to roll out the system. Although the project schedule was agreed initially during the kick-off, a few other projects running in parallel were also competing for resources and to fit this into the respective calendar was no mean task. The implementation of the HRIS was slotted around the operational team’s routines, especially taking into account payroll processing periods, which were peak periods for the HR team.

Another big challenge was to standardise all the policies for things such as job positions, leave, overtime, etc. across the group and to ensure it was implemented and in place before the live deployment of the HRIS. Since the different companies had their own policies prior to joining the Qualitas stable, standardising and getting the respective companies to agree and formalise it was a significant challenge; it was an important change in terms of their people policies and affected talent retention. With top management commitment, this was achieved after some initial persuasion.

Success Factors
According to Sarina, the key success factors in implementing any HRIS system would be all of the following: -
Management commitment – This is most crucial to the success of the system. “I was involved in the decision-making process at all stages of the entire implementation as the end result had a direct impact on my department”, said Sarina. “It also gelled with our overall organisational plans and I have my Executive Director, Karim Dhala to thank for that”, she added.

Teamwork – Sarina's team was involved in all the stages from data migration through training, testing and finally to live deployment.

Vendor participation – the vendor had a full- time consultant on-site throughout the implementation to ensure that all the various tasks were carried out smoothly and within the stipulated timeline. This helped iron out any technical or implementation issues immediately.

Knowing what is required - The most important thing is to know what is required as an organisation. In this respect, the requirement study phase of the implementation is the most critical as it documents the organisation’s requirements, which is later translated in the implementation and serves as the blueprint for the system in the future. The current and future direction of the organisation should also be clearly defined, as this will have a direct impact on the system’s implementation.

Benefits
The effectiveness of the system and the benefits realised are clear. It has reduced almost 30 percent of time spent on payroll processing, leaving the team to concentrate on their core tasks rather than simple operational matters.

Savings have also been realised using the autopay banking system to pay employee’s salaries through a standard interface. This had been processed manually, in parts, using the previous system.

The ability to tailor reports to their own requirements without costly vendor customisation has kept maintenance costs low as well as provided flexibility to the users.

Moving Forward
Sarina's avowed aim of making the HR department the one-stop centre for all employee-related information is already taking shape.

Future plans for the HRIS include adding modules like Benefits, Training and Development, Performance Management as well as Employee Self-Service (ESS) modules such as online leave, online claims and online staff information updating. The ESS would realise benefits instantly and guarantee high visibility immediately throughout the organisation. This is on the anvil end 2010.

Parting Words
Sarina's advice to other HR Managers in terms of HRIS implementation and rollout -

Know what you want. Have a backup plan. Always have senior management involved in the project for approvals and let them know how it affects the organisation. Don’t give up easily. Always go for what you believe in.