Preparing for your new HCM system implementation is the perfect time to review, consolidate and update data in order to help maximize your efficiency during implementation, and effectiveness of the system after your new system is live. When else will you have the time to slow down and look at the validity of your data, and adjust business processes?
Here are the top 10 areas we recommend you consider reviewing from a data and business process standpoint before you start your next implementation:
1. Data Source(s):
· What are the sources of your data that will be converted or used with the new HCM system?
· Can data be extracted from the current sources in a usable format?
· What will happen to any data not converted to the new HCM system?
2. Employee Data:
· Have your employees review and update (or provide documentation for the client to update) their Address, Phone Numbers (work and home), Email Address (work and home) and Emergency Contact information.
· Are the employee address and phone numbers in a consistent format? Are you spelling out “street” or abbreviating with “St.”? Are you using a 5-digit zip code or a nine digit zip code? Will you put parentheses around the area code in phone numbers, or hyphenate only?
· Is the tax withholding for State and Local taxes in sync with the employee’s address?
3. Organization Structure:
· Map out the organization structure that will be needed for the new system.
· Are there any impacts on organization structure driven by Security, Reporting, or General Ledger?
4. HR Data:
· Moving to a new HCM system is an excellent time to review, consolidate and restructure your Jobs & Positions, Salary Grades, Locations, and Departments.
· Is all employee related Compensation data in a format that can be used by the new system? For example, does the new system require all employees to be in an Hourly or Annual format?
5. Benefits:
· Are Current Benefit elections to be converted?
· Are there any fields that need to be converted and tracked to drive eligibility for elections?
· Is Dependent information clean, complete and up to date?
· Is Beneficiary Information clean, complete and up to date?
· Does compensation for (any) benefits need to include Bonus, Commissions or other amounts?
· Are there any grandfathered Benefits?
· Gather and document the calculations, rounding rules, guaranteed amounts/evidence of Insurability rules before you begin your implementation.
6. Payroll:
· Moving to a new HCM system is a great time to review and consolidate Deduction and Earnings codes. This is especially true for companies that have acquired other companies.
· Are the Employee and Employer Earnings and Deductions clean?
· Is the Employee Direct Deposit elections data clean and usable?
· Is the Employee tax information clean and usable?
7. General Ledger:
· Document Information that will need to be held in the new HCM system to support General Ledger.
8. Reports:
· Document Reports that will need to be available in the new HCM.
9. External Systems:
· Is there any data held in the current system that needs to be converted into the new HCM system to support external systems?
· Are there items in the project plan for the new HCM system to review extracts or integrations to external systems?
10. Historical Data:
· How much historical data will be converted?
· What is the conversion strategy for Codes (Job, Department, Location, etc.) not held in the new HCM system?
· What will happen to historical data not converted (extracted into Excel, Access or SQL tables/databases)?
Taking the time to plan for your implementation and asking some of these questions beforehand will save you time during the middle of your project, where you’re likely already maxed out and under tight deadlines. Plan smart from the start, and ask the experts at HRchitect if you need help with your pre-implementation and implementation planning. Our services span from helping organizations create HCM technology strategic plans, evaluation and selection services for new or replacement systems, change management, and implementation services.
Written By: Eric Frokjer
Eric has over 25 years of experience in the HRMS field. Some of his experience is in implementing Human Resources, Benefits, Payroll and Time & Attendance systems. He has been working with HRchitect since 2012.