The HR director of a midsized organization provides HR services to 15,000 employees and is an outsourced HR system provider to a cluster of smaller companies that are suppliers to the organization. The legacy HR system used by the organization operates using an outdated computer programming language. Recently, the chief information officer told the HR director that the legacy HR system is out of date and should be replaced by more modern technology. Therefore, the HR director decides to buy an HR module from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor. Through discussions with the vendor, the HR director learns that the HR module is undergoing a reengineering process that is not yet complete, and as such the organization would be the first new customer. The HR director also learns that the new system would require hardware changes to run the new software, but the vendor promises to customize it for the organization. Ultimately, the HR director is concerned about the implementation costs quoted by the ERP vendor. As a result, the HR director does not accept the ERP’s implementation cost proposal and engages a different, small-business IT provider with lower rates to handle the implementation. The HR director also decides to use HR employees in the director’s office that have an aptitude for technology to provide project management support. Unfortunately, when the new HR system launches, it has multiple problems, including a high error rate, lost data, inefficient screen navigation, and a poorly designed user interface.

The HR director asks an HR manager to prepare a report on the implementation of the new HR system. What should be the HR manager’s first step?
Answers
a) Log onto the system and review each module and screen.
b) Conduct a survey of employees using the system and ask them about the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
c) Interview the small-business IT contractors to find out how well they think the system is working.
d) Interview the project manager at the ERP provider to gather information on how well the system was implemented.

As the HR manager, which is the best strategy to prevent a similar situation from reoccurring?
Answers
a) Send out a memo to all staff instructing them not to touch other employees.
b) Use time at an HR and training staff meeting to review guidelines for participant interactions in training sessions.
c) Begin an organization-wide training initiative for sexual harassment.
d) Provide suggestions for icebreakers and classroom break activities to the training staff.