Each month, Google receives over 111 million searches on the subject of Time Management. Time is the most precious and limited resource that is available, especially within an enterprise Kronos project. Coordinating a large Kronos implementation or upgrade is a complex and often time-consuming endeavor. However, there are key Kronos project time management strategies designed to reduce the risk of missing the final deadline. When planning your next Kronos project timeline, consider the following:
Planning for complexity in a Kronos implementation is the first step towards avoiding complications. Schedule and track progress throughout the entire project. Create measurable and achievable goals to allow realistic assessments of your implementation or upgrade progress. Kronos can be a complex project for any IT department; for example, modules have different installation procedures, care must be taken to ensure the application and web servers have the correct bandwidth and are running compatible software versions, and individual user workstations may need to be adjusted for browser compatibility.
Within the organization itself, there may be exempt and non-exempt employees, multiple payrolls, union rules, scheduling issues or OSHA incident tracking requirements. Additionally, most Kronos projects require participation from a blended team of decision makers including HR, Finance, IT, Payroll, Internal Audit, etc., not to mention a very diverse mix of end-users! While the volume of variables can seem overwhelming, managing it all is very similar to the process of following a complex recipe: assemble the ingredients, required materials and conditions, follow the steps, and when precisely executed, the end product can be an amazing dish. Conversely, if all required ingredients, materials, and steps are not followed – the end product is not achieved.
It is important to do things the right way– but it is even more important to make sure you are doing things the right way at the right time! According to the Pareto Principle, success comes from staying focused on the “20 percent that matters”. The tasks in the 20 percent very likely will produce 80 percent of the results, making it critical to identify and focus on those tasks. When the fire drills surrounding the “crisis of the day” begin to eat up precious time, refocusing on the critical 20 percent can get the project back on track. Prioritizing all project tasks will help to ensure that time is not wasted on unnecessary processes or tasks.
Kronos projects are large and complex, touching the system that is integral to meeting legislative and contractual obligations for an organization. Risk Management is a crucial part of time management and proper Kronos implementation strategies because unaccounted for risks are the biggest time-wasters. There are 5 main steps involved in the process of Risk management:
Identify: Determine current and possible risks that may affect the outcome of the project.
Analyze: Define the likelihood and consequences of each identified risk.
Evaluate: Rank each risk according to the perceived magnitude: a combination of the likelihood and consequence.
Respond: Create a strategy for dealing with or modifying perceived risks to be at an acceptable risk level. Minimize the probability of any negative risks by creating a Project Risk Register.
Review: Closely monitor the results of your Risk Management and make adjustments where necessary.
A solid Risk Management strategy will eliminate uncertainty within your project, reducing risks and in turn saving your organization valuable time.
In the world of Workforce Management Software, change is a frequent occurrence. Organizations often deal with significant internal resistance during an implementation or upgrade of a major system. A workforce management system, specifically a system like Kronos, touches every employee in an organization. Therefore, dedicating a significant amount of time, energy, and resources into organizational Change Management is key.
Change Management: How an organization plans to help employees deal with change and use the new software correctly.
There are three main steps needed to effectively execute Change Management.
Identify Potential Friction
Employ Effective Communication
Effective Training
Read more about Change Management here!
When dealing with Project Time Management, the hold-ups often do not come from the technical resources, but instead arise with client resources who are unprepared to assist with testing, or who feel unprepared to go live. A comprehensive Change Management strategy will hold each party accountable to provide the support and resources necessary to make sure the organization and its employees handle the change most effectively.