Many times we get into a rut and we do the same things the same way because that is what we have been doing for as long as we can remember. Moving to a new software platform is a great time to take a look at many of your long standing “traditions” to see if they still serve a purpose. Ask yourself “WHY” are you doing those routine parts of your job that your new system is affecting. Here are some of the reasons you may come up with.
- “It was easier to do things this way when we were manual.”
- Many times trying to emulate an old manual system is more cumbersome and less accurate than letting your new system calculate for you more often. For example, in a manual system we might accrue vacation on a quarterly basis because it is time consuming or cumbersome. Then we develop “work arounds” to try to be more fair to employees who lose out based on their hire date. Allowing your system to accrue every pay period can be automated and much fairer to employees.
- “So-and-so in accounting needed this report for their system.”
- Have you asked if they still need the report? Are they still using the same system? Are they doing things to the data you give them that you can automate in a custom report? Does “So-an-so” still work there? Take the time to find out what other people are doing with the information you are giving them.
- ” I don’t know how to do it any other way.”
- Implementing a new system is a good time to review and get trained to thoroughly understand the capabilities you now have. That new, strange looking report might actually be better than the one it is replacing. This is a time to take advantage of all the training that is offered to you – you are likely to find new ways of doing things that are more efficient.
You system consultant has many years of experience in a variety of past implementations. They can be a source of information on best practices and improving work flow, as long as you are open to the new possibilities.
Written by Arlie Skory
Partner, WAC Solution Partners- Employer Solutions
