Funmilayo AlukoIT Project Manager| School District OfficeLake In The Hills, Il, United States
I just joined an organization a few days ago as IT project manager but on getting here, my boss want me to be doing process improvement analysis/project for HR because my boss feels they do not use the ERP system optimally. In my past experience I manage IT implementation projects when the functional dept has done their analysis and want to use software to help their business process.
Historically HR hired some BPM consultants and they reviewed their processes and made some recommendations and left, now 7 years later my boss wants me to lead the same effort and then implement changes in the IT system
I am not familiar with HR processes. How best do I convey this to her or how do I go about this? Saving Changes...
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Drake SettsuProject Manager / BloggerHi, United States
You need to put on your Business Analyst hat or request for a temp BA to help out.
You need to spend a lot of time in HR documenting the current workflows in Visio. Interview the key players in HR and ask them about the system. Find out what they like and don't like. Ask them what would you like to have on that system.
Discuss your findings with your boss to validate or disprove that hunch she has. Saving Changes...
That is what SME's are for. Leading the effort doesn't mean you need to be an expert, you can hire one following make or buy analysis.
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1 reply by Funmilayo Aluko
Apr 05, 2018 11:49 AM
Funmilayo Aluko
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The issue is that my boss thinks they should not have hired consultants to do the initial BPI project and could have achieved the same in house. I can do interviews with HR and ask them what they want and document, but the a team member I met here hinted me that most of the time they say they don't know how or what because the HR went through some changes and most employees are new. I am just thinking I am not in a position to recommend the steps to improve the current HR process because I am not familiar with HR, so do i suggest getting an SME for that part if there is none in house?
Saving Changes...
Funmilayo AlukoIT Project Manager| School District OfficeLake In The Hills, Il, United States
Apr 05, 2018 10:54 AM
Replying to Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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That is what SME's are for. Leading the effort doesn't mean you need to be an expert, you can hire one following make or buy analysis.
The issue is that my boss thinks they should not have hired consultants to do the initial BPI project and could have achieved the same in house. I can do interviews with HR and ask them what they want and document, but the a team member I met here hinted me that most of the time they say they don't know how or what because the HR went through some changes and most employees are new. I am just thinking I am not in a position to recommend the steps to improve the current HR process because I am not familiar with HR, so do i suggest getting an SME for that part if there is none in house? Saving Changes...
Dinah YoungProject Manager / Software Asset Manager| Prince William CountySpringfield, Va, United States
Maybe meet with you boss and the head of HR for the purpose of identifying and in-house SME. If they can not identify a SME in-house that has the capacity to work closely with you to manage this endeavor then suggest that they bring in an outside expert. This will not be the same as before when they brought in a company to do all of the work. Explain that the majority of the work will be internal but since you do not have all of the needed resources/expertise, bringing in external staff to augment the work will be required. Saving Changes...
Funmilayo AlukoIT Project Manager| School District OfficeLake In The Hills, Il, United States
Thank you all for your helpful responses Saving Changes...
There's certainly value in learning a bit about the business domain so you can be more credible and effective but as the others have said, an HR SME is needed for this purpose. Since the tool has been pre-determined, it's a good idea to ensure that there is someone in the discussions who understands the tool's capabilities to ensure you don't stray outside the bounds of what's feasible.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The question is simple to ask: definition of problem. What is a problem? Is the gap between the perceived reality and the desire reality. So, when somebody has a problem you can work on preceived reality (taking your case as an example the users could not know about the features so give them some training), you can work on the desire reality (users wishes features the software do not have then a full initiative is started from the business case) or you can work into the gap (which is the usual). Saving Changes...
Arun Dutt PullatProductivity Manager| Allianz Global RisksNorth York, Ontario, Canada
I see some great responses posted already. Heres my 2 cents.
Sounds like an opportunity to showcase that you are flexible and learn something new. Clearly mention that this is not your strength, but you still will like to give it a go. From what I understand it looks like your boss wants to get an internal opinion before he wastes money on additional resources or consultants. Project managers in my opinion can also be an investigator. Set low expectations on what you are about to do and do not promise any deliverables.I am sure, being an IT Project Manager you are, you would have worked in close quarters with BAs / Process Analysts/ Solution architects. Try to get a definition of the problem from your boss than a vague “see what you can do”. Take a people, process, technology approach to segment potential improvement opportunities. Elaborate it progressively as you discover more. Have frequent catchups to ensure you discuss what you are observing. This helps to pre wire (prepare) your boss on what to expect and get feedback to correct course rather than the final reveal approach. From what you said it honestly sounds like a user adoption problem of the department - which means change management during implementation of this ERP may not have been that effective. Involve SMEs from operations and conduct facilitated workshops. Ultimately when your observations / results / solutions you could do a simple impact effort chart and present your findings. Areas where you think you might need additional analysis, highlight them - which could be the business case for you to pull in other resources and have a cool project in hand :-). At the end you would have just proven yourself to be a multi skilled individual and awarded yourself talking points for your annual performance review ;-).
