Question and Answers
Workforce Administration
1. Describe the organizational structure for the organization for which you are working. The fundamental organizational structure will help determine the Business Units, SetID’s, Depatments, and other configuration fundamentals.
2. How are departments defined? Are they currently identified in a system with codes? If so, can the client provide a list of codes and descriptions. Is this something that could be configured in a new way to optimize the system foundation?
3. How many Employer Identification Numbers are used throughout the Organization? Are they Automatically generated?
4. Define your current HRMS system (s): How Many? Based on what Operating System? Relational or Legacy?
5. Describe a work location as defined by the organization.
• Provide the number of work locations throughout the organization.
• Provide a list of all the work locations throughout the Organization.
6. Define the following employee types and the number of employees in each type:
• Full-time employees.
• Part-time employees.
• Seasonal employees.
• Temporary employees.
• Non-employees.
• Contractors.
• Define any other employee types that were not previously referenced.
7. Describe the current process used throughout the organization to hire an employee. (Attach any manuals or reference procedures if applicable).
• If this process is administered differently for certain employees; (Please detail the process and the employee group / type as defined in the above question).

8. Describe how employees are identified within your current HR system. (By social security number, assigned employee id).

• If by employee id, is this number system generated?

• Is this standard practice throughout the organization??
9. Describe the current process used throughout the Organization to terminate an employment?
• Is this standard practice throughout the organization?
10. Describe how employee changes are processed; e.g., pay rate changes, promotions, suspensions.

• Is this standard practice throughout the organization?

11. Describe how leaves of absences and returns are processed.
12. Describe in detail how other leaves are processed.
13. List and describe personnel actions available in the current system.
14. Describe the approval process for personnel actions.

Position Control
1. Describe how the organization identifies positions within the current HR system. (Numeric, alpha-numeric). Is the process centralized or decentralized?
2. Define the different statuses for a position. (Frozen, proposed and approved).
3. Are positions numbers re-used when the employee leaves or is a new position re-created?
4. Describe how positions are funded. (Is funding done at the department or position level).
5. Does the organization use commitment accounting?
6. Describe in detail as to how the organization currently organizes jobs?
7. Are Job Codes used throughout the organization?
8. Please attach or provide a list of all the Job Codes currently used.
9. Are all employees assigned a position?
10. Do you have multiple head count in a single job?
11. How does the organization currently use FTE’s?
12. Does the organization have multiple headcount in a given job/position?
13. Is job sharing currently practiced or allowed?
14. Do you have employees with multiple jobs?
15. Does the organization currently allow job sharing?

Compensation
1. Define your current salary plan structure.
2. Define the number of salary plans
3. Describe how salary plans are maintained.
4. Describe the process to create a new salary plan.
5. Define the different Salary Grades and Steps.
6. Describe how employees are moved to the next step within a salary plan.
7. Define the components that make up an employee’s salary.
8. Define the following employee types:
a. Number of hourly employees:
b. Number of salaried employee:
9. Define the percentage for each group.
10. Describe the criteria used for grouping employees.
11. Does the organization have contract pay?
12. Describe how contracts are defined?
13. Describe the varying frequencies and payment terms in detail.
14. Describe the process for any mass salary increase.

What are the questions you might ask when starting a 9.1 implementation for Core HR? Everyone has a questionaire stuffed away somewhere that was used in a former project. Some of us have several. In the next few posts, I will provide some of the initial questions I use when trying to get some high level information from my clients. Please feel free to comment and add your ideas as that is what makes this site valuable. Contributions that are longer than comments may be submitted for consideration. Though these questions are pertinent to a PeopleSoft Implementation, many could be used for other applications as well.

What might be some of the over arching questions that must be asked at the beginning of an implementation and what are some of the things you want your project team thinking about as they start on their adventure into implementation? Certainly a knowledge of the organizational structure is critical to understanding how the system might support the organization. Also, this is a time for looking hard at the organizational structure to envision where changes might make it more effective or integrated.

In terms of process your team members must have the ability to conceptualize and verbalize what they envision as the future state. Who will be doing what in the new process, what are the roles going to look like as the organization moves into the future? Where are the boundaries in the process? Is there a boundary between recruitment and workforce administration? Are they different systems which would require an interface? Where do processes begin and end?
What are the pre and post conditions? For example, after a termination there are actions that must be taken such as Cobra communication. This would be a post condition of the termination process.
Finally what are the business rules that must be followed in the process and are there any government regulations that will impact the way the process is implemented?

Wow, that seems like a lot of information and yet it is only a small part of the information that you must gather during project initiation.

What might be some Points of Discussion that you want your team to consider?
Investigate their pain points in the current process and how they might want to change that going forward? On every project there are pain points in the process such as dual data entry, manual processes, hand delivery rather than electronic. I am sure you can add to this list.
Are there points in the process that could be eliminated? Would automated workflow improve the efficiency of the process? If so, how and where would workflow be critical?

Are there manual processes that you would like to have supported by the system? Again, analyzing the process often uncovers areas that are still being especially where there are hand offs in the process or boundaries to cross.

Finally, what changes are most frightening in the organization? Uncover the areas of fear and trepidation and communicate the value of the new system. Enlist change agents to carry the positive message forward to the entire organization. Where are the pockets of resistance most apparent?

These are just a few of the overarching questions and concerns at the beginning of an implementation. In future blogs, discussion will center on the questions you might use in your initial questionaires.

Please comment and contribute as we all can benefit from the insight of others. Read the rest of this entry »

The requirements are in place but often not well understood.  The project is ready to go and it is necessary to gather information for the blueprint.  Who has a template for a Blueprint?  Seems they are all quite different and each application has many versions.  There are Blueprint’s that are completed in Excel and those that become incredibly long, profuse documents.  Personally, the excel works for me because it seems to be more efficient. 

Gathering information for the Blueprint requires reviewing all the requirements.  Just as you draw up blueprints for building a house, it is necessary to draw up blueprints for an implementation.  Who will manage the project, who will design, build, and ensure requirements are being met?  Much as you look at building construction with its myriad sub-contractors, you can translate that approach to building an implementation. 

Questionnaires help to gather information to help understand what will be built, the timing and how the process will work at a high level.  The implementation that is the 9.1 PeopleSoft implementation is using questionnaires for Core HR, Benefits/Ben Admin, Payroll, Time and Labor to establish some fundamental information that will be used not only in the blueprint, but also in the process as it is drilled down, the design, the build, the testing, the training and in the quality assurance to ensure the requirements are met. 

Finding the questionnaires and adding information is much more difficult than a visit to google search.  Questionnaires become specific to an organization where you are working.  Is the project in a commercial, public sector, or education sector?  Currently I am seeking a questionnaire template for Pension so any help that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.  If you are in need of questionnaires, leave a comment and we can exchange some information.