What are the major factors to consider when an organization is considering upgrading or implementing a new human resource information system?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

•Gap assessment – What is the present situation (legacy system), the desired future state (new HRIS), and the gaps that exist between them for the following areas of the organization?

oInformation Systems – requirements for hardware and operating system software architecture

oHuman Resources – demographic employee data variables (distinguish which system maintains, how information is updated, any controls, and connectivity with other support functions) and security of the data (availability to functional levels, i.e., employee, manager, finance, operation managers, etc.)

oOperations, Finance, Quality – productivity (more or less work) of employees (management/non-management) and cost versus benefit An informative visual map illustrating: o the current state (no HRIS)o the future state (HRIS system in place)

othe interdependency and/or replacement of other databases

•Capture projected implementation costs of the new HRIS, i.e., hardware, software, software license fees, facility upgrades required (electrical, mechanical, remodeling), headcount increase to recruit new skill sets, as compared to cost reductions, i.e., employee headcount reductions due to automated data collection, job eliminations, cost savings due to elimination of legacy systems, with the return on investment (ROI) calculated over a four-year period

•Summarize components of each HRIS software system in a table format that visually differentiates software packages from the other. Components would be:

oObjective (cost, reporting capabilities, operating system, etc.) and

oSubjective (ease of use, customer service, reliability of product, customer reviews, etc.)

•Develop recommendations that: o Balance the requirement to maintain the security of proprietary and confidential data with the need for self-service maintenance and access by employees

oAddress the varying degrees of access for managers, support functional groups based on their need to know