Driven by concern for employees and the business, many HR departments take on the mandate to
digitise without a clear framework for success. As a result, most HR technology projects fail orfall far
short of goals.
Here’s how to avoid three common pitfalls so you can set your projects up for success.
Mistake #1 Putting tools in the driver’s seat
If you’ve been in the HR technology space for any length of time, doubtless you’ve noticed the wide range of digital solutions available. What starts as a good idea (“Let’s streamline this manual process with technology”) all too quickly backfires as the workforce gets bogged down with too many tools and platforms, each adding a layer of responsibility and complexity rather than making the employee’s work easier.
The problem: Choosing tools that look useful or cutting edge first, and then figuring out how to deploy them.
The solution: Building requirements that align company vision, culture, and ways of working first, and then choosing a tool.
WHERE REQUIREMENTS FIT IN FOR HR TECHNOLOGY
Mistake #2Relying on your own assumptions
There are times in business when it makes sense to trust your instincts. Implementing a digital transformation is not one of them.
Humans are notoriously bad estimators and the stakes for your organisation are too high for guesswork. All too often, the solution you’re sure everyone will like fails to catch on, the demo promises more than the tool delivers, and hidden costs overtake your budget.
The problem: Unvalidated and speculative assumptions drive project design.
The solution: Run experiments and pilots to make data-driven decisions.
GET HELP WITH THE PILOT DESIGN
Mistake #3Choosing the wrong metrics
When it comes to your digital transformation, what does success look like? How will you know if you’ve achieved it?
Because ROI (and especially return on digital investment) can be so hard to track, organisations are sometimes tempted to make a business case around what they can easily measure.
Over the long-term, however, that approach can backfire, resulting in expensive mistakes and time-consuming corrections.
The problem: Taking a metrics-first approach to projects.
The solution: Taking a people-first approach that considers each problem and identifies the right KPIs to use to find solutions.
You can make your
HR technology
transformation
easier—and
more effective.
Download our free guide to building a better business case to learn more about a framework for designing smarter, better digital transformation projects. Use our step-by-step process to define requirements, select a tool, calculate accurate ROI, and validate decisions. Then put it all together with our focused business case format.
Download our free guide to making the
case for digital transformation
