Change that is implemented in pieces is doomed to fail just as systems implemented in pieces often fail due to lack of integration. Change must be managed as dynamic like balancing a mobile. If you move one part of a mobile it impacts everything else and often throws it off balance. Implementations and change are similar, you must always look at the entire picture not your little corner of the world. The “What’s in it for me” message is needed to be answered but only in the context of what’s in it for the organization and the success of the organization that includes me. The change message must be the same throughout the organization and every communication must deliver the same message that relates change to vision.

Messages must b clear, consistent and endlessly repeated and even then the message may not get through to the survivor who manages to get through the changes in the organization without ever changing. Ultimately, that one person can defeat an entire project and have an impact on the organization. They are the one piece in the mobile who remains the same when all others change and the result is an imbalance in the project or the organization.

There is a difference between what should never change and what in the organization should be open to change. To understand the vision of an organization it is imperative that you understand the core values or ideology and what the organization is seeking in the future. Core values and core purpose are those fundamentals that do not change and tells you where you are. The future is where you may be going and that can change as the world and economy changes. Can your organization demonstrate core tenets this well?

Can you articulate the core values of your organization? Living in Orlando provides an example or core values in an organization that is demonstrated to the world daily. Not only can employees articulate the value but anyone familiar with Walt Disney Company’s core values have a clear understanding of imagination and wholesomeness, product excellence and service to the customer.

Let’s ask your employees what core values do you personally bring to work? These core values are values you would communicate to your children, hold regardless of the rewards and will continue throughout your work and home life. Will these values be as important 100 years from now as they are today? If you were in charge of your organization, what core values would you espouse?

So it has been established that we need to clearly articulate our core values. Next let’s talk Core Purpose. An organization has a core purpose and that is to reach for a star but never quite get there. The purpose of an an organization lies in it’s reason for being. Well of course it is to make money and provide value to shareholders. Hmmmm is there more to the purpose of your organization than that? If it wnt away tomorrow what would the world miss by not having your organization exist? Keep asking why and you will begin to discover the purpose of an organization. A hospital might indicate we have an ER, why? We pay our nurses a percentage more than any other hospital in the region, Why? We provide educational opportunities for the community, Why? Keep asking the why questions to identify the purpose.

An organization can demonstrate competence just as an employee can but purpose provides what your organization stands for at the end of the day.

In conclusion, if it isn’t core, it can be changed. So what will you change and how will you foster that change. Answer all these questions as you begin any change process or initiative in an organization or implementation.

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?

1. Take advantage of your power hours. Are you an early riser who tackles your morning to-do list with all the gusto of a cat capturing a canary or are you a night person who seems to get more done after 11 p.m.?
Either way, take advantage of your own time cycles and energy to accomplish the optimal productivity.

2. Focus for five minutes. Focus on the tasks at hand. The most difficult thing for a creative, energetic person is to maintain the focus. Try to complete a task rather than context switching from one task to another.

3. Create “to do’s”. Write down the item you need to do and place it somewhere where you can see it – your patio door, refrigerator door, car dashboard, calender, iphone, bathroom mirror, inside your reading glasses. Posting lists and notices for items you wish to accomplish in a highly visible place, helps remind you to get them done.

4. Use your calendar: Do you have a task that has been lingering on your to-do list for days, weeks or even months? Use your calendar, your phone reminder, outlook reminders, google reminders and set a date to complete that task. Break the task down into reasonable amounts to work through to completion.

5. Reward, reward, reward. Give yourself credit as you accomplish even a small part of the task you set out to do. Keep gold stars handy for recognition.

6. What is the hardest thing you have to do? Usually if you complete it at the beginning of the day, you will move through the day more quickly. The more you leave those tasks to low energy times, the less you will accomplish.

7. Make a decision. Putting off a decision on what to do with that piece of paper won’t be any easier tomorrow than it is today. Train yourself to categorize every item that comes across your desk as something to do now, delegate, dump, or defer. Defer does not mean placing it back in the pile and pretending it does not exist. That is the pathway to failure. It means putting it in a dated tickler file, scheduling a time to do it, or moving it to a someday to-do list on your calendar and completing it to avoid the guilt and stress that are inherent in putting things off til tomorrow.

8. Find a team to work with or a mentor to give you encouragement along the way. Celebrate your success.

9. Finally make promises, keep promises, give yourself rewards for accomplishment, enlist the help and encouragement of friends to keep you moving along. Maintain your calendar and check your “To Do’s” each morning and cross some off at the end of each day. Nothing feels better than crossing off or eliminating something from your list.

10. Identify what you need to accomplish, set a timeline for accomplishing that task and maintain documentation to support what you have accomplished.

And how do you keep on keeping on when you are on a team of negative noras who constantly complain? You focus on your own achievements, stay positive in the face of all negativity, and ask for solutions rather than complaints.
Just keep on keeping on in the face of adversity, negativity and complaints and be grateful each morning your feet are above ground!!

The current project is reviewing all the delivered processes and using them as a basis for the development of the “to be” processes for the implementation. New projects always result in a search of the “PeopleSoft” now Oracle website to find the delivered processes and each time it is a matter of wading and searching to find them.

Daniel, who is one of our business analysts on the project found this link which has provided an excellent resource for our process development work.

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17355_01/hf91bpm0/index.html

Oracle also has a PDF of the 9.1 processes. Let us know where you are in your business process work and how you developed your “to be” processes for your implementation.

• Long-Term Care

• Medical

• Legal Services

• Wellness Credit

• Vehicle

• Uniform

Base Benefits Dependents/Beneficiaries
• Child
• Employee
• FostChild
• Grandchild
• DPAdult
• Dom Partnr
• DPChild
• Other
• OthQ Dep
• Stepchild Child
• Spouse
• ExSpouse
(Provide any manuals or reference procedures if applicable)
I am sure anyone who has conducted informational/discovery sessions will have information and questions to add to this blog. Please feel free to send additions or comment.

4. Does the time collection system allow time entry for groups of employees or for one employee at a time?
5. Do you have staff, such as timekeepers, who collect and post time? Please provide details of the process of collecting time and who collects and posts time.
6. Is there a restriction on who can enter hourly employees’ time versus salaried employees’ time?
7. Can employees enter their own time?
8. Can employees inquire and view their entered work hours?
9. Is time approved? If so who approves time? What is the procedure for approving employee time? Can time be approved electronically?
10. How is time capture for both electronic and paper timecards: hours per day or punch time ins and outs or are employees paid a standard schedule and only exceptions are captured or all three depending on the employee?
11. Currently, where is time entered corrected if there is an error? At the data entry level or is it corrected in the payroll process?
12. What is the input of incremental time, such as half days for vacation, etc. currently allowed?
13. If standard hours are used, what are your employees’ standard hours?

14. If time capture differs for different employees, explain the business process on what determines how the employees’ time will be captured.
15. Can retroactive time and labor adjustments be made once a time period has ended? Describe any situations that require you to pay employees hours and/or amounts from the prior period.
16. How are new employees set up for reporting time? Please describe the business process for “enrolling” your new hires in your existing time management system.
17. What are the beginning and end days of the time period? How does this relate to the payroll cycle?
18. What are the beginning and ending times for a 24 hour period?
19. Describe all of the specific time codes that are used in recording time in the current system, including any recorded hours for unpaid time, such as Unpaid Sick, Unpaid Vacation. Does the present system track absences or tardiness?
20. What are the Public Holidays offered to the employees? Are the same Holidays offered to all employees’ or are there different Holiday Schedules for different employees.
21. If more than one Holiday Schedule, what determines which Holidays are offered to an employee?
22. What are the specific business processes that must be adhered to for time reporting, such as Education leave must have at least 1 hour keyed to a maximum of 8 per year?

23. Aside from capturing hours, do you also record data elements such as dollar amounts or units? Such as flat dollar bonus amounts or units like 30 cents per mile.

Cost Allocation, Schedules and Shifts Processes
1. Is your timekeeping system used for allocating costs? Do you define how and/or where an employee time is spent? Are there certain tasks that are grouped together? Please describe how your costs codes are structured and how they are assigned to the time reported by employees.
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2. Does the organization use Work Orders to capture information about labor costs? How is the information used?
3. Do your employees work shifts? What are they?
4. Is an employee assigned to one shift or are they allowed to work multiple shifts? Can they work multiple shifts in a day and/or in a week?
5. How many shifts make up a workday?
6. Are shift employees paid a differential? How is the differential calculated?
7. Describe your FLSA processing requirements? What days constitute the definition of your workweek? (E.g. Mon – Fri, Sun – Sat). Are FLSA requirements union driven?
8. Do all employees work the same schedule or are they flexible work schedules? Please describe all the different schedules that employees work.

9. Are employees allowed to work several jobs in the same week? In the same day?
10. If an employee is working out of his/her job classification, is their different rate of pay and how does the timekeeper or payroll representative determine the rate of pay?
11. Are employee’s represented by Unions/Bargaining unit(s)? If so, how many Unions/bargaining units?
12. When do these unions bargain? What are the bargaining seasons?

Time Administration Processes
1. What are the time processing rules currently used today? For example: How is Overtime calculated, only hours worked or does the calculation included Vacation, Holiday etc? Is it overtime after 8 hours in a day or after 40 hours in a week? Are these rules the same for all employees or different for each class of employee? If so, please describe each rule being used.
2. Are leave balances maintained at time entry level? If so, list all types of leave that are maintained.
3. If leave balances are maintained at time entry, describe what happens when the employee’s leave requested is greater than the employee’s leave balance or are the employee’s allowed to carry a negative balance?
4. If employees work flexible schedules, are the hours paid for vacation, holiday and sick based on the flex schedules.
5. How is the entered time validated? For example, if total time entered exceeds standard hours, does the current system provide red flags for the approver to review?

6. List any reports that are used to validate this time. Please submit an example.
7. Are control totals used to reconcile employee time entry? Describe the process. Please identify and give an example of any reports used for reconciling.
8. What are the mechanisms for correcting error data? Please describe the business process for correcting data that your time collection system has invalidated.
9. Do you have any audit needs regarding who has changed or approved time?
10. What employee information is available for time entry personnel?

Compensatory Time Management Processes
1. Are Client employees allowed to report Compensatory Time (Comp Time)?
2. How is Comp Time earned? Can the accruals be recorded in the existing time collection or payroll systems?
3. How do employees take their Comp Time?
4. Are Comp Time balances maintained automatically by the existing system?
5. Are Comp Time balances adjusted at the end of the year? How is that adjusting done? Manually? Electronically?

6. Can Comp Time expire? What are the conditions under which Comp Time would be considered to have expired?
7. Can Comp Time be bought, sold or donated? How are these transactions handled?

Time and Labor Integration with Payroll, Human Resources, and Projects
1. Is the timekeeping system electronically integrated with an automated payroll system? Please describe the process of integrating the two systems.
2. Which system calculates the time rules, such as Overtime, shifts and such?
3. How often is time collected and uploaded to payroll? Do the time periods, used for capturing time, follow the payroll period?
4. What is the current deadline that time must be entered and calculated so payroll can be processed in a timely matter
5. If time does not load to payroll, what are the procedures for investigating, rectifying, re-approving and paying for that time?
6. Describe how your Time and Attendance business process integrates with human resources and payroll? Does your existing T&A system interface electronically with your payroll and HR systems?
7. Aside from Payroll, does your current time keeping system interface to any other system (internal or external)? Such as a Project or Funds. Please list those interfaces and describe what they do.

Reporting/Outbound Data
1. Are there reports generated to balance and prove employee time entry?
2. Are time reports generated to be sent back to time originators/collectors?
3. Are time reports generated for managers to approve time?
4. Please list and describe all time reports that are generated from the current system. Please submit an example of all the reports.

Policies and Procedures
Please provide any policies and procedures manuals and desk references currently being used by your department for time management.