OPERATIONAL GOVERNANCE

This article is a follow-up on: Support requirements, First, watch the go-live, Setting up a Support Model, Change Management and Training and Knowledge Retention. Please read all the articles in order to acquire a more complete view of Cloud HRIS support requirements. While my focus is on SuccessFactors modules and suite, most of the items are relevant for any HRIS implementation, in particular with SaaS products.

The fundamental goal of any program is to provide lasting change. To do so, it is necessary to align the program to the actual business strategy, to clarify how to get there and, after deployment, how to ensure that change is sustainable in the long run, so to enable the organization to reap the benefits of the investments made.   

Historically, system governance has resided in IT. Now, with HR taking more responsibility in the deployment and support of cloud HRIS, it is time to resurface and review the approach to the relevant governance framework, to ensure that it fits the bill.

Governance in HRIS needs to ensure value delivery in accordance to the business strategy, manage resources and reduce risks, both at compliance level and at delivery level.

• Clarify responsibilities and processes to deliver the correct authorizations to the users, how and when they should be reviewed, and a testing process including both positive and negative testing (can the user access everything needed, and is unrequired access denied). 
• Define a Data Governance approach and design appropriate policies based on the planned utilization of the data, prescribing who will create, maintain and audit, and who can access for data extraction and evaluation.
• Consider establishing naming conventions where it could be helpful, and communicate accordingly. A downside of proceeding with naming conventions is - that the human error becomes a factor; so they should be used sparingly and audited regularly.
• Clarify how new requirements or change requests will be identified, and when a change is deemed too large and requires a separate project
• Prepare to measure success by defining expected results in quantifiable terms, measure before deployment, after deployment and at a specified time mark after. The terms can be extremely variable, subjective or objective, varying from team satisfaction (based on surveys) to the speed of activities, or even improved retention or engagement; the common factor is to make them measurable. 
• Ensure change and support are managed by published SLAs and Scorecard.
• Define the communication process and tools related to all changes – ensuring that all proposed changes are:
• evaluated for impact, risks and benefits during a requirement gathering phase
• categorized according to urgency and relevancy
• subjected to approvals and prioritization, to spread out limited resources over time – usually by using a backlog
• tested in unit, integration and go live/acceptance phase
• reflected as needed in documentation and training materials
• plan for auditing options of the process

For more on Change Management, please see my previous blog on the topic.

The last blog of this set will appear shortly, and will cover:

• Release Management routines

THANK YOU for taking time out of your super-busy day to read my post. Really, I am honored - and will be thrilled to read your comments and reactions to my writing.

Contact me at [email protected] for advice, suggestions or comments, and for any questions. Follow me on twitter @chiarabersano.