11, Choosing the appropriate HRMS and avoiding certain pitfalls

The newsletter on Human Resource expert opinion, for the Indian context

There are a lot of HR tech, or what we call as the HRMS solution providers available in the market in India today. Quite a lot of them are overseas based, and you can subscribe to them sitting in India.

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Now, when we look at an HRMS product, or if we want to buy a HRMS or implement an HRMS solution in an organisation, our experience has shown that it is always the third or the fourth time that an organisation actually ends up buying the product or subscribing to the product which helps them see business value as an organization.

?our experience has shown that it is always the third or the fourth time that an organisation actually ends up buying the product or subscribing to the product which helps them see business value as an organization

So, what is the reason for such high a high or long learning curve and why are such high amount of learning resources being put that one gets a product for the first time, get a product for the second time, and either it is cracked the third time or the fourth time?

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It is basically the implementation systems and actually understanding the need.

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One of the key things that we end up doing is replacing an Excel with macros with an HRMS solution.

?One of the key things that we end up doing is replacing an Excel with macros with an HRMS solution.

That's a decision you need to take, whether that is what you want to do. If that is what you want to do, then you need to be aware that this will have a life cycle.

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You can run it for one, two, three years at max, beyond which you will need to change.

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Similarly, what you need to understand are the dynamics of your organization.

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When we say HRMS, the "S" is solution, it is meant to run certain processes in a particular fashion.

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Subscription-based models are very good, but what you need to understand is how adaptable are they to your organizational needs. Even organizations performing the same business activity will have different way of managing their inputs. That is what is the USP.

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If you are having a different way of managing employees from the industry, you obviously cannot have the same software to manage your employees.

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Because the software you are procuring as an HRM is meant for managing humans. It is not like managing the Indian GAAP, it is not like you will have some accounting standards and you need to develop a software and is going to manage all these accounting principles in a particular fashion.

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There are no written SOPs for managing humans, which means, you will have certain basic understandings or similarities, but the software should be able to adapt to the needs of the organization.

?There are no written SOPs for managing humans,

That is what is another error that a lot of organizations end up making or realizing that the adaptability or the change the organisation wants is somehow not available in the software they have taken.

?That is what is another error that a lot of organizations end up making or realizing that the adaptability or the change the organisation wants is somehow not available in the software they have taken.

And eventually the organisation ends up getting into the third or the fourth cycle of trying to find an HRM solution.

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How can we avoid it? A very simple point, planning.

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If one were to invest a lot in planning, understand the need, get an expert, understand the business outcome, what you want to do, how you want to do, and chart out a plan.

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That plan could include getting a temporary solution for a couple of years, then getting an advanced solution, or it could even include a planned way of doing first HRMS, second HRMS and third HRMS.

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But it will involve the transition phases, so that the wastage of resources is not there.

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Who is an expert for HRMS?

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Based on our experience, we understand that the experts who will really get you a wonderful HRM solution are not the IT people. They are not the people who are business analysts.

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It is a human resource professional. They are the ones who understand how a process needs to run in the HR domain.

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You need domain expertise. You don't need technical expertise.

?You need domain expertise. You don't need technical expertise.

The way HRM solutions are designed, they are smart enough for any smart person to be able to understand and use them.

?What you need is a person who is a domain expert in human resources

What you need is a person who is a domain expert in human resources to be able to tell you that these kind of solutions that you want will be best understood and suited by these kind of products.

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That is what will make you a successful HRMS implementation organization.

India HR Guide is aimed at discussing and shedding light on aspects in a crisp manner that organisations in India follow in the area of Human Resources. It is aimed at CEO's, MD's and line managers to understand how various aspects of Human Resources can help shape their organisations journey in India. Our industry leading expert, Mandeep Singh, offers years of accumulated knowledge from having advised clients across sectors, and spread across the remotest corner of the country. Let's make the workplace, a better place.

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