I was talking with a client this week about the implementation of an outsourced solution to payroll, HRIS and benefits administration that he would soon be going through.<\/p>\n
He has every intention of engaging third party assistance with the implementation. \u00a0He\u2019s seen things go very wrong for companies who attempted to go it alone with their outsource providers. How or why implementations go wrong and fail can be debated.\u00a0 We can talk about bad project management, unrealistic time frames, faulty technology and the like, but that really isn\u2019t the topic of this week\u2019s posting.<\/p>\n
No, I\u2019d like to talk about the successful implementation<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Successful implementations happen every day across the HR spectrum. \u00a0Client and vendor teams put in the hard work to make it happen.\u00a0 Sometimes third parties are involved to help with data cleanup, project management or other tasks, and sometimes they aren\u2019t.\u00a0 Regardless at the end of implementation, oftentimes one person can be identified who just would not allow the project to fail.\u00a0 He or she could be on the client or vendor side (or with the third party) and can be recognized for the Herculean effort that ensured success.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the end of the implementation you can also usually point to a person (maybe the person mentioned above), or a group of people, who, to put it bluntly, no one wants to continue working with.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s face it, implementations can be hell.\u00a0 Nerves get frazzled, tensions run high, people put in long hours without recognition or compensation, and once great working relationships can be forever damaged.<\/p>\n Thinking about it, maybe it is a great idea that most service providers have implementation teams separate from ongoing processing. \u00a0You will also commonly see account managers turn over within a year of completed implementations to allow for a \u201cfresh approach.\u201d<\/p>\n The human toll of a successful implementation is high.\u00a0 And it can often lead to a strained relationship from the start.\u00a0 We already discussed how expectations can already be out of whack post-implementation<\/a>.\u00a0 This just makes it even harder.<\/p>\n Why am I telling you all this?\u00a0 Well, this series is about relationship management.\u00a0 Give relationship management a chance to work.\u00a0 Don\u2019t start your relationship off in a hole.<\/p>\n What can you do to avoid this?\u00a0 Hire third party assistance to help with the implementation.\u00a0 If nothing else, let them be the bad guys!\u00a0 Let them be the ones who have to constantly badger people to hit deadlines.\u00a0 Let them be the ones to hold the mirror up to the team.\u00a0 Let them be the ones the client and vendor talk about behind their backs.\u00a0 Let them become the ones you love to hate.<\/p>\n And when all is said and done, and the implementation is completed and successful, let them be the ones you thank for keeping the client and vendor from each other\u2019s throats.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n Just think of it as pre-marriage counseling.<\/p>\n