Talent Management - October 2008 - (Page 36)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & beneﬁts performance management learning & development succession planning methods. Thus, it is imperative the training format be as experiential as possible by employing hands-on, insystem work, group discussions and problem solving, along with case scenarios and speciﬁc and practical task-oriented examples. Conducting an end-user training needs analysis is a solid strategy. Remember, one round may not be enough. Some groups may require remedial training prior to the full event, whereas others further along the learning curve may beneﬁt from an accelerated session. Further, plan for follow-up training a month or two after the system launch. At that point, it will be much clearer what is working and what is not. Avoid Common Pitfalls Even the smoothest projects are bound to encounter obstacles, so it pays to be prepared. Some of the biggest problems occur when stakeholders don’t have a clear understanding of existing business processes. To know what has to be changed, it’s important to know Further, avoid trying to “boil the ocean” or take a “big bang” approach. Often, there is a tendency to create a project that attempts to solve every talent management problem facing the organization. To prevent this, enforce a tight scope among stakeholders, and be prepared to provide adequate justiﬁcation — too expensive, time intensive, lack of consensus — to prevent project-scope creep. Consider limiting the technology deployment to a pilot group. This often can be done by ﬁnding an eager or technically adept business unit, one that can make for a great early success story to pave the way for other business units that may be reticent about the proposed technology change. Ensure Long-Term Value The next phase begins when the implementation is complete. At this stage, it’s important to ﬁnd out what is working and what is not as soon as possible, in order to mitigate the negative feelings of staff who may not understand the value of the new solution. Employ the communication plan and promote successes, no matter how small. Stay in touch with end users through user groups, discussion forums and structured lunch-and-learns. Make sure to implement key benchmarks and metrics that demonstrate the beneﬁts of usage and undergo consistent root-cause analysis to uncover usability issues and implement an action plan to address them. Continued investment in ongoing training is critical since it is after the launch event when an organization will tailor its solution to meet its speciﬁc needs. Set aside budget for additional training three to six months post go-live to cover issues that may not have come up previously. It also pays to be an active participant in a software vendor’s customer programs — such as regional user groups, steering committees and annual conferences — to stay on top of key learning developments and best practices. Although there are many factors working together and many different areas that need to be addressed during a talent management technology deployment, one key element remains: whichever solution is chosen, the team managing the implementation needs to always have one ear to the ground and keep its sights on the horizon. By doing this, and following the best practices outlined above, organizations can help ensure their technology implementations are smooth and rewarding. Guy Gauvin is executive vice president of global services for Taleo, an on-demand talent management solutions provider. He can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com. Consider limiting the technology deployment to a pilot group, one that can make for an early success story to pave the way for units reticent about the proposed technology change. why the change is needed in the ﬁrst place. Without this insight, a project risks moving ahead without welldeﬁned requirements, making it difﬁcult to measure its ultimate success and ensure buy-in. It is critical to deﬁne metrics relevant to the business from both the project standpoint — on time and on budget — as well as the overall business-process renewal initiative. Also, have a baseline with which to compare, and feed the results to key stakeholders. Enlist executive- and management-level resources to help deﬁne the overall metrics of what a successful project means. Partnering with the right vendor is another factor that can make or break a technology project. It’s important to be in complete alignment with vendor or consulting resources from a cultural or organizational perspective, as they will help provide the long-term growth capabilities. To do this, execute due diligence up-front. Contact a variety of past customers and gauge their experiences with that vendor. It’s a sure way to ﬁnd out the real story regarding the vendor’s service level and overall capability. 36 October 2008 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - October 2008

Talent Management - October 2008 Editor’s Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Foundations The Three Pillars of Executive On-Boarding Role-Based Assessment: Thinking Inside the Box Who's Going to Speak Up for Health Care? Obey the Push to Automate Managing the Star Performer No One Wants to Work With Adopting a Mutual-Funds Model for Talent Management Hewlett-Packard: Simple Talent Management in a Technical World Team Effort Pays in Talent at London Business School The Employee Survey: What’s in It for Me? Why Most Managers Are Stuck Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - October 2008

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