It is always amazing that there is someone who indicates process is not important, or we don’t need to do that until we get into designing the system and writing the specs.  Process Analysis needs to happen up front to determine where the opportunities are for change, how change will be instantiated and communicated, what training will need to take place, does the system support the process or not?  Are there other systems that are integral to the process?

Here are some questions to ask yourself and ensure you have the answers and your processes analyzed to provide a framework and foundation for everything else in your implementation.  The foundation will be there for testing, training, security, roles, compliance and ultimately change and communication. 

Questions;

What is the purpose of the process, outcome and result?

What are the Roles and how will they change?

What are the steps?

What are the business Objects?

What are the rules?

What is manual and where does the system support the process?

What training and testing will be necessary to ensure the process is working as planned?

What are the boundaries between processes and what is the impact on pre and post process?

How will all the changes be communicated and managed?

So if you think process is not important, look to those implementations where you have been involved and determine points of failure.  And on those that were supported by Business Process or Use Case Analysis how they had an impact on success. 

I remain amazed that there are still consultants and professionals who do not understand the value of understanding and anlyzing process at the beginning of an implementation…not in design, not in construct, not in transition, not in deploy but in the beginning to provide a foundation for all stages, phases and tasks involved in an implementation.

• Attention to Detail
• Problem Solving Ability

These competencies typically have definitions. For example:

Attention to Detail: Pays attention to details to ensure they are correct.

Competency definitions are most useful if they include a scale which helps identify low and high levels of the competencies. For example:

Attention to Detail: Pays attention to fine details to ensure they are correct

• Low: Shows concern when errors are made in detail but does not make special efforts to fix them.
• Medium: Is careful in work and takes the time to ensure details are correct.
• High: Is very careful in work, checks final result, puts in extra effort to re-do work when it is not up to their personal standards.

Typically, there are around seven to ten competencies for a job. While one could often justify having more competencies the models become too hard to use.

Tools for Building Models
There are three main tools used to build competency models. They can be used alone or in combination.

1. Select from Existing Competency Dictionaries
   Many consulting firms have dictionaries of existing competencies. They may even have lists of jobs with associated competencies.  In addition, PeopleSoft is delivered with vanilla competencies that can be reviewed. A client can simply select and edit competencies from the dictionary that they feel relevant to the job.
2. Use an Expert Panel to Define Competencies
   An “expert panel” normally consists of HR, one or more managers of the job being discussed and one or more incumbents of the job being discussed and a consultant. The expert panel discusses the job and decides what competencies are required.
3. Research on the Competencies Required to Do the Job
   The most scientific way to determine the competencies required for a job is to do research. Typically this is done by doing structured behavioral interviews of high performers and average performers. The interviews are analyzed and the differences between high and average performers become the basis for the competency model.

Selecting a Tool
The key issues in selecting a tool are:

• What can you afford (in time and money)?
• How well do you understand the job?
• How much do you want to learn about competencies?

Here are some common scenarios and the appropriate tools:

• Small company with limited resources
  Often small companies find they can only afford the cheapest, quickest approach which is to select from a competency dictionary. This does not add a lot of value but is better than not using competencies at all.
• We already understand competencies and we understand the job
  If the job is well understood and you already understand competencies then you may find that selecting from a competency dictionary meets your needs.
• We need to understand the job better and we want buy in
  Using an expert panel typically helps you ensure that you develop competencies that are well tailored to the specific job. Just as importantly, you get buy-in and understanding from the people who will be using the model. For most situations, this would be the method of choice.
• It is a critical job and it’s worthwhile to get it right
  For a large population job, such as flight attendants in an airline, or critical jobs, such as senior auditors, it is often worthwhile to do a research project. It is also useful if you suspect that there may be competencies that an expert panel would be unaware of.
• We want to really understand competencies
  A research project is the best way to really understand what competencies are all about. An HR department might well want to do one or two research projects to learn about competencies before retreating to faster, cheaper tools such as expert panels or selecting from a dictionary.

Caveat
Generally, far too much effort goes in to building a model, and too little effort goes into using it. In general it may make sense to try to get a rough model together quickly, start using it, then refine it based on what you learn.

Role of Consultants
Companies new to competencies should probably use a consultant to help them get started. However, in general it is best if the consultant is the teacher and coach while the company (usually HR) does the actual work of building the model.

If the consultant does the work they will gain a deep understanding of competencies and jobs. You, the client, will get a piece of paper.

What is the difference between a leader and an executive.or a leader and a manager? A leader can demonstrate the status quo seems more unacceptable than changing. It is necessary to convince at least 75% of the leadership in an organization that continuing the “as is” is unaccpetable. A leadership team is needed to communicate the value of change. You may be able to communicate the “need” for change but what is the value to the organization?

So what are some of the things that are needed to transform an organization. There must be a vision and a sense of urgency to change. Once you have the vision, how do you develop strategies to achieve that vision? How do you communicate that vision and teach the new behaviors that will be necessary to achieve the vision?

A leader will plan for short term wins and focus on improvements. Hire employees, promote employeyees and reward employees who can implement the vision. Ensure performance is evaluated on the ability to support change within the organization. There must be a strong line of leadership and trust in that leadership. This means having a clear vision of the future you want to instantiate. Transformation will dissolve if there isn’t a clear and communicated vision.

Can you communicate the vision of the organization in 5 minutes or less? If you asked each employee, would they be able to articulate the vision? Without credible communication employees will never participate or support change. Remember new approaches are subject to erosion and managers who do not support the change and make demands inconsistent with the new culture will ensure failure. Requirements for appraisal and promotion must change to support the new vision.

Where are you in the change process? Are you winning or losing the battle for a new culture. Cultural change is very difficult and does not take place overnight or with one implementation. Stop today and see if you can articulate the vision of your organization and where you fit in that vision.

Consultant: “Can you show me how they cross all the organizational boundaries? Where they start and where they end? What are the results and who is the owner of the process? Who is getting value at the end of the day?” Client: “Huh?, I just keep the binder of the visio documents, I don’t know who uses the process documentation.” And so on, and so on.

Process is not something to keep in a binder on the shelf, but something to review on an iterative basis. Do your processes remain static? Are the roles always the same, do they change? If so, how and who integrates the change into the organization to ensure it is accepted? It is important to identify the stakeholders, the change agents, the processes that change and how they change. Is the change a result of a policy change, a change in the system, a role enhancement, a performance concern either system performance or performance of an associate? There is an impact to the organization which will effect systems, people, process, procedure outcomes or results that must be addressed.

Who owns the process? The process owner is the person who gets value at the end of the day. What does that mean? It means the highest level ownership in the organization, the role that ensures that part of the organization is achieving the results expected and the results that support the organizational vision and direction. I wonder how many associates can explain how what they do will impact the direction and strategy of the organization..in fact, how many can articulate the vision or strategy of the organization?

Process is the absolute foundation of the organization and determines where any implementation or upgrade will go and whether or not it will be successful. It is the foundation for system, customizations, training, testing, and ongoing support of the organization so again I ask…where are your processes? In a binder on the shelf, or in the forefront of organizational and strategic discussions?

Interfaces
Please define the interfaces used for the following:
• HR
• Position Management
• Compensation
• Labor and Employee Relations
• Training and Licensing process
• Workforce Development
• Please define any reports that may be generated that were not addressed above.
Elimination / Changes
1. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current HR process?
2. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Position Management process?
3. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Compensation process?
4. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Labor and Employee Relations process?
5. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Recruitment and Applicant Tracking process?
6. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Training and Licensing process?
7. What would you like to eliminate and/or change within the current Workforce Development process?

Policies and Procedures
Please provide any policies and procedure manuals and desk references currently being used by the HR department.

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 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.

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.

Putting down the Cluetrain and listening to the morning news brought forth another enlightening concept. A camel is a horse that was developed by committee. Any team has to have a leader and if everyone is the leader you will have a beautiful Camel. This does not mean the leader has to be “Controlling” because that is NOT true leadership. They do have to lead the team in the direction of the results expected and provide guidance and direction while listening to suggestions. It is so easy to put together a group that goes off in every direction believing that each of them are the “in charge” person. If you are building a Camel…look around and find a leader, or be one!