copyright 2000 - south-western college publishing module 7 - 0 hris module there are four groups of...
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Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 1
HRIS Module
• There are four groups of transparencies here, designed to go with the topics listed in the teaching note:– Overview (4 slides)– Kinds of systems (8 slides)– Client/server technology (7 slides)– Implementation & org change (14 slides)
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 2
HRIS Overview
• Technology is increasingly pervasive– Push: hardware and software costs go down– Pull: greater need for good HR systems
• HR people need to be aware of what information systems can do
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 3
Technical basics
• Database technology– Storing and retrieving data– Usually relational databases
• Network technology– Distributing information– “client/server” systems– Intranet and the WWW
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 4
More than just technology
• Systems are embedded in organizations– Routines, procedures, etc.
– Jobs, division of labor, etc.
– Information, power and influent
• Organizational factors make all the difference– Untrained or resistant users can kill any system
– Poor fit with org. structure, culture or routines can also kill a system
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 5
HRIS require careful planning
• IS dept. needs to manage technical details– Databases, network connectivity, etc.
• HR needs manage the change process– Training– “PR” and communications– Need to identify sources of resistance to change
& strategies for managing resistance
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 6
Kinds of Systems
Mgmt ReportingEEO, OSHA, etc. absenteeism by department
Decision Support staffing (long and short term) benefits planning
Workflow recruitment & hiring performance appraisal
Transaction Processingtime and attendance forms requests benefits enrollment
Executive SupportStrategic planningPlant opening/closing
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 7
Transaction Processing• Basic, routine requests
– Time & attendance records– Benefits enrollment
• Normally done with a form– Labor intensive & Error prone
• Automation of routine transactions provides data that other processes can use (informating HR work)
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 8
Management Reporting
• Basic, routine questions– How many people work here?– What are we paying them?
• Also need capability to generate “ad hoc” reports to answer non-routine questions
• Client-server systems can enable more flexible reporting by allowing users to design their own reports
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 9
Workflow
• Most transactions require multiple steps– Hiring is a classic example
• Where does the paperwork go next?
• Workflow systems expedite processing by moving the “paperwork” from step to step electronically
• Vision: the paperless office
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 10
Decision Support
• Algorithms can be used for routine decisions – daily/weekly/seasonal staffing levels)
• Analysis tools can be used to support non-routine decisions– When bargaining over wages or benefits, DSS
can help analyze true costs over time.
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 11
Enterprise Resource Planning
• Very popular category of software– PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, Baan, JD Edwards,
etc.
• Objectives:– Integrate HR, financial and manufacturing data
into a single system– Facilitate operations and decision-making
• Can be very complex: thousands of tables!
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 12
Special purpose systems
• Many other kinds of systems are available– Job description writers– Applicant &resume tracking– Test administration
• Or you can write your own
• A constant issue: systems integration (getting systems to work together)
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 13
What do systems do?
• Automating: replacing human work with machines– Generally aimed at cost reduction
• Informating: creating information as a by product of work– Feeds management decision making– Can enhance effectiveness
• HR Systems can do either or both
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 14
Client/Server Systems
• A way of distributing computing resources, such as:– Files -- data and programs– Processing– I/O devices (print, fax, etc.)
• Objective: To create flexible infrastructure and provide information at your fingertips
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 15
Why is C/S so popular?
• Hoped-for benefits (pull)– Lower cost, greater IS value– Greater functionality & flexibility– Fits 1990s organizational paradigm
• Enabling technology available (push)– Cheap, powerful hardware– Relational database technology– Network technology (the intranet)
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 16
Trend toward distributed resources
• 20 years ago– Central mainframe running batch jobs– Dumb terminals, but limited interactivity
• 10 years ago– Central mainframe– Mini- and micro-computers attached
• Recently– Increased network capacity & cheap PCs– 90% of corporate MIPS are on the desktop
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 17
What is a client?
• A process that interacts with the user to:– provide a user interface– formulate queries (for example)– communicate with server– analyze data returned from server
• Examples: – WWW browsers like Netscape are clients– E-mail readers like Eudora or MS Outlook
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 18
What is a server?
• A set of processes that:– provides services to client(s)– responds to requests (does not initiate)– makes the system transparent to client
• Examples:– Web servers respond to requests for web pages– Also: File servers, email servers, print servers…
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 19
HR & client server systems
• Most major HR applications use client-server technology– Data are centralized and can be shared– Access and decision-making can be
decentralized
• Examples: – Open positions need to be posted everywhere– Policies and procedures, benefits enrollment. . .
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 20
C/S systems are not simple
• Lots of pieces interacting– Server platform, client platform, network ...
• Maintenance is expensive
• Security and control is always a concern– Who should have access? To which data?
• HR requires excellent support from IS to make these systems successful
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 21
Implementation and Organizational Change
• Many parts of organization are affected– Resources/authority/jobs are at stake– Politics and resistance are likely
• Need to adopt appropriate tactics– Always: Participation– Frequently: Co-optation– Occasionally: Managerial fiat
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 22
Cross-functional teams are needed
• System builders are responsible for:– Technical quality– User interface– Overall organization impact– Design and implementation process
• No single function can handle all this!
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 23
User involvement is key
• Users provide essential information• User involvement tends to generate
resources needed for org change:– “Buy-in” (or co-optation)– Commitment
• User involvement tends to promote:– Increased satisfaction– Higher probability of success
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 24
System Development Life-CycleWARNING: The most expensive errors happen early. . .
Requirements
Design
Customization
Implementation
Time (1-2 years for complex system)
Maintenance
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 25
Requirements analysis
• Problem definition: What are our needs?
• Feasibility: technical, economic, operational
• Possible outcomes:– Do nothing; leave well enough alone– Upgrade/extend existing system– New System
• Output: Project/system proposal
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 26
If you don’t know what your requirements really are...
• Try prototyping• Use the prototype to elicit user reactions
and define requirements• Revise and enhance the prototype to refine
the requirements• Good approach for complex situations
where requirements are unclear
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 27
Selling your project
• Hard to justify on cost-benefit alone– Direct savings are easy enough to document– But systems are expensive…
• HR systems are required to do business– Payroll taxes, FMLA, OSHA, and many other
record keeping functions are required by law– Why not get a system that can also help further
strategic goals of the organization?
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 28
Systems are risky
• Failure is common– Almost all projects fail a little bit (over budget,
behind schedule, marginal functionality)
• Some project fail completely – A large scale HRIS is expensive ($ millions)– Consultants can help, but are also expensive
• IS people adopt a “risk-benefit” perspective– How risky is your project?
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 29
Risk-benefit perspectiveProject Risk
High Low
High
Low
PotentialBenefits
CautiouslyExamine
Identify & Develop
RoutineProjects
Avoid!
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 30
Make or Buy?
• Requirements form the basis for this decision. If at all possible, try to buy!– Most systems can be customized– It’s easier to change your processes, if necessary
• Writing custom software only makes sense if you have very unusual (and inflexible) requirements (or the project is very easy)
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 31
System Design
• After needs have been identified, still need to decide details of what system will do
• Says what is to be done, but not how to do it
• This is needed even when purchasing software– Vendor will have customization methodology
• Output: Design or customization specifications
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 32
Customization
• Even packaged software required customization
• Large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (like SAP, PeopleSoft, Baan, etc.) can have literally thousands of parameters that must be set.
• This is a significant effort
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 33
Implementation
• Data conversion & Roll-out– Parallel systems: safe but expensive– Direct cut-over: risky but cheap– Phased approach (e.g., by geographic area)
• Documentation
• User training & support
Copyright 2000 - South-Western College Publishing Module 7 - 34
Production and maintenance
• Average breakdown of effort:– 20% debugging & emergency fixes– 20% changes in data, files, reports, etc.– 60% enhancements
• 50% of life-cycle cost
• An effective requirements/design process greatly reduces these costs
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