Once an organization decides to upgrade or implement a Kronos application, the next big decision is who they will work with to complete the project. There are three main parties necessary for the process of creating and executing a successful implementation strategy. First is the vendor. It is important to keep the vendor involved as they have the necessary resources and expertise of their product. Within the organization itself, it is crucial to have a team of people who have the talent and skills needed to complete the project successfully. Beyond the vendor and the internal stakeholders/talent, an organization should consider bringing an outside Kronos consultant into the project. Here are the top three reasons why working with an outside Kronos consultant is a crucial part of a Workforce Management project.
1. Limited Bandwidth 
IT staff members have limited bandwidth. An overloaded IT team becomes ineffective, which in turn affects the productivity of the organization as a whole. Statistics show that 91% of data centers experienced an unplanned outage in 2013-2014. Each minute of downtime costs organizations an average of $5,600 PER MINUTE. A successful IT team needs to have bandwidth available to respond to these types of crises. Working with a consultant can save organizations time and money by reducing the hours their IT staff spends on WFM implementations and upgrades, freeing them up to manage other priorities. Outside consultants can also prove to be the more cost effective plan of action.
2. A Neutral Opinion and Mediator
One of the most important factors of change management or user-adoption is buy-in from executive management. In a recent survey, 44 percent of IT managers reported a lack of technological awareness and alignment at the executive management level, saying there is often a divide between the board-room’s priorities and the IT department’s priorities. When it comes to a WFM project, the IT department and the executive team need to be on the same page in order for proper communication to surround the project. Without proper communication, employees are much less likely to adopt new technology or changes.
In recent surveys conducted by the International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences, communication was ranked as the fourth most important critical success factor for implementation success. Successful communication before and during an implementation includes ensuring there is a widespread understanding of the project and clear expectations placed on each department. A strategy of communication should be targeted to highlight benefits, expectations, and important changes to the end-user experience to help overcome potential resistance and foster buy-in across the organization.
It is important to note that good communication often requires the involvement of both the vendor and outside consultants. Although the use of outside consultants may not occur in every implementation, for organizations that lack the in-house expertise or necessary personnel, using consultants saves time and increases the efficacy of the final system through the expert application of industry Best Practices and standards. An outside Kronos consultant will understand how to communicate the importance of the WFM project to the executive team in order to properly prioritize the tasks needing to be accomplished. According to a recent survey, if given free reign over IT decision-making, 58 percent of IT professionals would prioritize long-term, back-end infrastructure investment. Yet, according to survey respondents, none of these long-term investments topped the priority list at the upper management level. Working with an experienced outside consultant will help to close these types of communication gaps and align the organization's WFM strategy.
3. The “We have seen this Before” Factor
Outside consultants bring years of diverse experience to every workforce management project. An independent and experienced eye will help sculpt an extremely personalized implementation strategy, addressing the specific needs of your organization. Having worked with so many different organizations, an outside consulting agency has seen it all and may have experience solving your organization's exact situation.
Beyond diverse experience, a consultant provides an outside voice not held to the client’s corporate culture or the traditional methods or processes of the vendor. A consultant’s opinion is formed only by the organizational situation, WFM knowledge, and previous experience. Working with an outside Kronos consultant can be the difference between a successful or a dysfunctional WFM project.
We would love to tell you more about how Improvizations can help with your next implementation or upgrade. Connect with one of our experienced consultants today!
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