Human Resource Management Systems Chapter 10: Maintaining and Enhancing an HRMS

1. Human Resource Management SystemsChapter 10: Maintaining and Enhancing an HRMS Joseph Y-W. Deng joseph@im.knu.edu.tw

2. Chapter Outline • Defining maintenance • Keys to successful maintenance • Where is maintenance needed? • Accomplishing maintenance • When maintenance is not enough

3. Introduction • Maintenance requests flow into the HRSC even before the HRMS becomes operational • Bugs, new modules, major enhancements • To keep up with changes • Guideline • Recognizing when system modification is necessary • What kinds of modifications to make • How to execute modifications smoothly

4. Defining Maintenance • Software maintenance, not hardware maintenance • Any changes made to the HRMS after the system becomes operational and has been accepted by users • Technical changes • Correcting bugs • Altering data definitions • Modifying a system already in production • Fine-tuning • Major enhancements

5. Types of Maintenance • Corrective maintenance (60%) • Fixing problems • Adaptive maintenance (25%) • In response to changes in technology, government regulations, or external forces • Perfective maintenance (15%) • Response to changes and requests from users and technicians

6. Approaches to Improvement • To address adaptive or perfective maintenance needs for improvement • Enhancing the existing HRMS • Add a module • Implement system developed or acquired by user

7. Keys to Successful Maintenance • Manage maintenance activities • Maintenance strategy • Planning for maintenance throughout the life of the HRMS from system acquisition to eventually replacement

8. Minimizing the Disruption of Maintenance • Maintenance schedule: • Scheduled, not on-demand • Giving plenty of notice of maintenance activities to all affected staffs • Schedule the maintenance for less busy periods • Provide the clearest possible documentation and training concerning the changes to all users and technicians affected

9. Maintainability • A maintainable HRMS: • Is easy to understand • Operates reliably • Operates efficiently • Has good documentation • Is easy to test • Is easy to modify • Is programmed in structured and modular code • Is written in popular programming languages and is developed by popular tools • Use standard database access technologies

10. Maintainable In-House Systems • Set maintenance objectives and guidelines • Involve maintenance staff during design • Keep a development log • Provide thorough, concise, and understandable HRMS documentation • Involve maintenance staff during all testing procedures

11. Maintainable Vendor Systems • Set specific measurable maintenance criteria and benchmarks and build these into RFP • Document system build process • Evaluate the vendor’s maintenance program • Using maintenance benchmarks • Make maintenance a contract issue

12. Maintenance Policies and Procedures • Consistent policies and procedures • To run maintenance smoothly • Considerations • Maintenance request and acceptance process • Scheduling considerations • Logs • Service agreements • Charge-backs • Audits • Rigid control • Flexible control • Phase control • User control

13. Maintenance Request and Acceptance Process • Maintenance or service request form • The request • The expectation • The responsibility • The approval • The reviewer • Maintenance contract • Scope of work • Responsibilities • Schedule

14. Scheduling Considerations • Maintenance frequency • Maintenance cycle • Avoid interference with normal operations • Time limit for resolving a request

15. Service Agreements • A service agreement is an arrangement or contract between the user community and the HRSC • Promotes better services • Foster more realistic expectations • Helps track and predict user demands • Establishes agreement on priorities • Aids production scheduling • Establishes total performance over time • Provides management with summary information

16. Logs • Maintenance log & service log • Request date • Request summary • Start and completion dates • Staff assigned to maintenance item • Activities performed • Hours required to complete maintenance • Effect on operations during maintenance • Effect on system after completion • Effect on human resources after completion

17. Charge-backs • Charge back maintenance costs to users • Users become more aware of maintenance costs • Maintenance recognizes the value of maintenance • The HRSC controls unnecessary requests • Users tend to be more serious about their priorities

18. Audits • Audit of HRMS performance • Discover which aspects of an HRMS • Auditing HRMS maintenance policies • Include participation by maintenance staff • Include a review audit or reports to develop plans for improvements • Include specific review of maintenance activities

19. Maintenance Control Philosophy • Rigid control • Inflexible HRMS with no discretionary • Flexible control • Adaptable to support the human resources community • Phased control • Initially rigid, then flexible • User control • Allows users to help determine maintenance approaches

20. Maintenance Control Philosophy (cont’d) HIGH RIGID PHASED/USER RISK FLEXIBLE USER LOW USER EXPERIENCE HIGH

21. Maintenance Resources • Maintenance tools and technique • Standards for HRMS components • Adequate maintenance budget • Staff assignments for maintenance responsibilities • Maintenance policies and procedures • Maintenance evaluation mechanism

22. Useful Tools for Maintainability • 4GL • Data dictionaries • Local Area Networks • Decision support systems • Early development of the HRSC • Version Control Systems

23. Standards for HRMS Components • Fund the project • Offer HRSC support staff • Provide a hot line service • Provide maintenance support

24. Common Standards Issues • Software • Database • Word processing • Graphics • Spreadsheets • Telecommunications • Operating systems • Security

25. Common Standards Issues (cont’d) • Hardware • Computers • Printers • Plotters • Telecommunications • Disk drives • Security

26. Common Standards Issues (cont’d) • Data attributes • Field names • Field lengths • Field types • Field descriptions • Codes

27. The Maintenance Budget • Efficient maintenance needs effective funding • Life-cycle cost • Maintenance: 65% • Implementation: 15% • Design/programming: 16% • Requirements definition: 4%

28. Maintenance Staff • Maintenance programmers • At least as experienced as system developers • Understand the big picture • Maintenance group • Experience to grasp the impact of the proposed changes

29. Experienced Exposed to a variety of applications and programming environment Flexible Adapt to difficult or changing styles of coding, user requests, and priorities Self-motivated Initiate and complete work independently Responsible Reliable perform assigned tasks in a dependent, timely manner Disciplined Consistent in the performance of duties and disinclined to try haphazard approaches Analytical Well-thought-out Thorough Address even the smallest detail Characteristics of Good Maintainers

30. When Is Maintenance Needed? • Ideas for HRMS modifications can come from any department • Sources of input • Evaluations • User surveys • Audits • Analyses of changing business government situations • Technological improvements

31. Evaluations • Give everyone a chance to critique the new HRMS • In-house evaluations • Forced-choice questionnaire • Coded questions, with specific choices, ranged responses • Situational analysis • Present a historical or hypothetical scenario • Evaluations by a Consultant