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Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing

Module 7 - 1

HRIS Module

There are four groups of transparencies

here, designed to go with the topics listed in

the teaching note: Overview (4 slides)

Kinds of systems (8 slides)

Client/server technology (7 slides) Implementation & org change (14 slides)

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Module 7 - 2

HRIS Overview

Technology is increasingly pervasive

Push: hardware and software costs go down

Pull: greater need for good HR systems

HR people need to be aware of what

information systems can do

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Module 7 - 3

Technical basics

Database technology

Storing and retrieving data

Usually relational databases

Network technology

Distributing information

client/server systems

Intranet and the WWW

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Module 7 - 4

More than just technology

Systems are embedded in organizations

Routines, procedures, etc.

Jobs, division of labor, etc.

Information, power and influent

Organizational factors make all the difference

Untrained or resistant users can kill any system

Poor fit with org. structure, culture or routines can

also kill a system

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Module 7 - 5

HRIS require careful planning

IS dept. needs to manage technical details

Databases, network connectivity, etc.

HR needs manage the change process

Training

PR and communications

Need to identify sources of resistance to change

& strategies for managing resistance

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Module 7 - 6

Kinds of Systems

Mgmt Reporting

EEO, OSHA, etc.absenteeism by department

Decision Support

staffing (long and short term)benefits planning

Workflow

recruitment & hiring

performance appraisal

Transaction Processing

time and attendance

forms requests

benefits enrollment

Executive Support

Strategic planning

Plant opening/closing

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Module 7 - 7

Transaction Processing

Basic, routine requests

Time & attendance records

Benefits enrollment Normally done with a form

Labor intensive & Error prone

Automation of routine transactions providesdata that other processes can use (informating

HR work)

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Module 7 - 8

Management Reporting

Basic, routine questions

How many people work here?

What are we paying them? Also need capability to generate ad hoc

reports to answer non-routine questions

Client-server systems can enable moreflexible reporting by allowing users to design

their own reports

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Module 7 - 9

Workflow

Most transactions require multiple steps

Hiring is a classic example

Where does the paperwork go next?

Workflow systems expedite processing by

moving the paperwork from step to step

electronically

Vision: the paperless office

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Module 7 - 10

Decision Support

Algorithms can be used for routine

decisions

daily/weekly/seasonal staffing levels)

Analysis tools can be used to support non-

routine decisions

When bargaining over wages or benefits, DSScan help analyze true costs over time.

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Module 7 - 11

Enterprise Resource Planning

Very popular category of software

PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, Baan, JD Edwards,

etc.

Objectives:

Integrate HR, financial and manufacturing data

into a single system Facilitate operations and decision-making

Can be very complex: thousands of tables!

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Module 7 - 12

Special purpose systems

Many other kinds of systems are available

Job description writers

Applicant &resume tracking

Test administration

Or you can write your own

A constant issue: systems integration

(getting systems to work together)

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Module 7 - 13

What do systems do?

Automating: replacing human work with

machines

Generally aimed at cost reduction

Informating: creating information as a by

product of work

Feeds management decision making Can enhance effectiveness

HR Systems can do either or both

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Module 7 - 14

Client/Server Systems

A way of distributing computing resources,

such as:

Files -- data and programs

Processing

I/O devices (print, fax, etc.)

Objective: To create flexible infrastructureand provide information at your fingertips

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Module 7 - 15

Why is C/S so popular? Hoped-for benefits (pull)

Lower cost, greater IS value

Greater functionality & flexibility Fits 1990s organizational paradigm

Enabling technology available (push)

Cheap, powerful hardware Relational database technology

Network technology (the intranet)

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Module 7 - 16

Trend toward distributed

resources

20 years ago Central mainframe running batch jobs Dumb terminals, but limited interactivity

10 years ago Central mainframe Mini- and micro-computers attached

Recently Increased network capacity & cheap PCs 90% of corporate MIPS are on the desktop

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Module 7 - 17

What is a client? A process that interacts with the user to:

provide a user interface

formulate queries (for example) communicate with server

analyze data returned from server

Examples: WWW browsers like Netscape are clients

E-mail readers like Eudora or MS Outlook

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Module 7 - 18

What is a server? A set of processes that:

provides services to client(s)

responds to requests (does not initiate)

makes the system transparent to client

Examples:

Web servers respond to requests for web pages

Also: File servers, email servers, print servers

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Module 7 - 19

HR & client server systems

Most major HR applications use client-

server technology

Data are centralized and can be shared Access and decision-making can be

decentralized

Examples: Open positions need to be posted everywhere

Policies and procedures, benefits enrollment. . .

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Module 7 - 20

C/S systems are not simple

Lots of pieces interacting

Server platform, client platform, network ...

Maintenance is expensive

Security and control is always a concern

Who should have access? To which data?

HR requires excellent support from IS to

make these systems successful

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Module 7 - 21

Implementation and

Organizational Change Many parts of organization are affected

Resources/authority/jobs are at stake

Politics and resistance are likely

Need to adopt appropriate tactics

Always: Participation

Frequently: Co-optation

Occasionally: Managerial fiat

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Module 7 - 23

User involvement is key Users provide essential information

User involvement tends to generate

resources needed for org change: Buy-in (or co-optation)

Commitment

User involvement tends to promote: Increased satisfaction Higher probability of success

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Module 7 - 25

Requirements analysis Problem definition: What are our needs?

Feasibility: technical, economic, operational

Possible outcomes:

Do nothing; leave well enough alone

Upgrade/extend existing system

New System

Output: Project/system proposal

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Module 7 - 26

If you dont know what your

requirements really are... Try prototyping

Use the prototype to elicit user reactions

and define requirements Revise and enhance the prototype to refine

the requirements

Good approach for complex situationswhere requirements are unclear

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Module 7 - 27

Selling your project

Hard to justify on cost-benefit alone

Direct savings are easy enough to document

But systems are expensive

HR systems are required to do business

Payroll taxes, FMLA, OSHA, and many other

record keeping functions are required by law Why not get a system that can also help further

strategic goals of the organization?

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Module 7 - 28

Systems are risky

Failure is common

Almost all projects fail a little bit (over budget,

behind schedule, marginal functionality)

Some project fail completely

A large scale HRIS is expensive ($ millions)

Consultants can help, but are also expensive

IS people adopt a risk-benefit perspective

How risky is your project?

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Module 7 - 29

Risk-benefit perspectiveProject Risk

High Low

High

Low

PotentialBenefits

CautiouslyExamine

Identify &Develop

RoutineProjects

Avoid!

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Module 7 - 30

Make or Buy? Requirements form the basis for this

decision. If at all possible, try to buy!

Most systems can be customized Its easier to change your processes, if necessary

Writing custom software only makes sense if

you have very unusual (and inflexible)requirements (or the project is very easy)

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Module 7 - 31

System Design After needs have been identified, still need

to decide details of what system will do

Says what is to be done, but not how to do it This is needed even when purchasing

software

Vendor will have customization methodology Output: Design or customization

specifications

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Module 7 - 32

Customization

Even packaged software required

customization

Large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)systems (like SAP, PeopleSoft, Baan, etc.)

can have literally thousands of parameters

that must be set. This is a significant effort

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Module 7 - 33

Implementation Data conversion & Roll-out

Parallel systems: safe but expensive

Direct cut-over: risky but cheap

Phased approach (e.g., by geographic area)

Documentation

User training & support

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Module 7 34

Production and maintenance Average breakdown of effort:

20% debugging & emergency fixes

20% changes in data, files, reports, etc.

60% enhancements

50% of life-cycle cost

An effective requirements/design processgreatly reduces these costs

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