HR Happy Hour 367: Busting Technology Implementation Myths

Have you ever been tasked with making a technology selection for your organization, then leading that implementation?

For many HR leaders, this scenario plays out at some point in their career. I’ve long said that this is not something that HR professionals are trained to do while at the university level, so it falls to learning how to do this while on the job. Since it is not something that is practiced often, as leaders, we rely on our vendor partners to guide us through the process.

There are numerous myths and stories about implementations gone wrong. And while none are “perfect”, having a plan up front and a partner you trust are key in making the experience a positive one for the company, the implementation team, and all the users. With that in mind, I reached out to one of the experts in implementation for guidance for HR leaders and other stakeholders, ADP.

In this week’s episode of the HR Happy Hour, I am joined by by Craig John Spendiff and Ed Davis, executives at ADP.

We talked about some of the myths that put fear in leaders making buying decisions that impact their HR transformation.  Some of the myths we tackled included:

• If you’re not already in the Cloud, you’re too far behind
• Everyone on the company will be excited about the change
• Functionality is more important than user experience
• All systems integrate easily
• Training isn’t needed as long as the solution is user friendly and intuitive

They talked through what you need to know when you’re starting the journey with a new technology partner, whether or not you need an implementation plan, who to involve in the implementation, change management and user adoption.

They may have even created a soccer (Futbol!) challenge for the future!

As part of ADP’s new service program, ADP Advantage, the tools you need to keep these implementation worries at bay are now standard for ADP’s customers.  This will drive greater success through the implementation process, “Go Live”, and beyond.

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