Companies invest substantial labor and financial resources to
deploy workforce management software.
Why do so many projects fail?
Although each Workforce Management implementation has its own unique needs and requirements, WFM projects share certain commonalities: they are complex, require detailed strategy and thoughtful change management. Failure can have catastrophic consequences across an organization. With Kronos Version 8.0 being released, it is time for many organizations to start considering an implementation or upgrade strategy. Strategic planning at the outset of the implementation saves time and money while increasing the likelihood that expected benefits will be delivered on time and on budget.
Software implementation and upgrade projects are prone to failure. Overall, an estimated 74% of IT (Information Technology) projects fail in delivering “the promised functionality on time and on budget.” An average 66% of software projects experience a cost overrun, 33% experience a schedule overrun and 17% fail so badly they can threaten the very existence of the company. In fact, 50% of businesses had an IT project fail in the last 12 months. Workforce Management Software (including Kronos®) implementations face similar threats.
Kronos® implementations can be particularly challenging and complex.
Depending on the business needs of an organization, a Kronos deployment can touch every facet of the company, including employee timekeeping, payroll, benefits and HR administration. From a technical side, HR, Payroll and Accounting systems may be affected through single and dual-feed data interfaces. Not only are employees and systems affected, but compliance with legislative mandates and union agreements can also be major concerns for a Kronos implementation. An organization implementing any Kronos version across multiple locations must also contend with a variety of local, state, federal (and in the case of an international deployment, country) regulations. Failure to adequately meet these requirements can be costly. Intangible aspects of a difficult or failed implementation impact an organization as well - no employee is happy to have their paycheck or benefits miscalculated.
Failure is not an option; strategy is the solution. [Tweet This]
Too often, organizations will begin an IT project with no clear direction on where they currently are or where they are going. The pressure of a necessary Kronos upgrade can cause decisions without direction. The literature agrees: software project failures are often the result of inconsistent stakeholder involvement and commitment, fuzzy business objectives or a failure to align project requirements with business needs.
Strategic implementation planning must identify an organization’s Critical Success Factors (CSFs). These factors will vary by organization size, location(s) and industry. To avoid costly overruns or inadequate delivery, a successful implementation plan will include:
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Strategic Alignment
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Strategic Reconciliation
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Gap Analysis
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Project Charter
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Change Management
To continue reading click below to download our new whitepaper: Successful Implementation Strategies.
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