When we replace HR systems (with SAP, SuccessFactors or anything else) there is usually a group of consultants who know the current system but not the customer’s business practices, and a customer who doesn’t know how their new HR system works. To make that new HR system work, we have to set it up for the customer’s business practices. And that means gathering and sharing information. I think too often we focus more on gathering than sharing, but that is a topic for another day.
My preferred approach is to gather information from my customers by interviewing them, asking questions, showing them the system, having conversations. Yes, eventually that information finds its way into some templates, but that is the end result, not the method.
Other consultants rely more on the template approach, particularly in outsourcing situations. They give a template to the customer, ask them to fill it out, and then set up the system based on that. That requires less work from the consultant, and more from the customer. Interviewing is just the opposite of that – more effort from the consultant.
So which is better? Well, of course, it depends. But more often than not, I think interviewing is the better method. As a consultant I get to dig into the customer’s processes and practices, understand them and propose good solutions. With a template, I tend to end up recreating whatever mess they currently have, just in a new system.
In practice it’s rarely 100% one or the other method, though I have seen consultants try the 100% template approach (and it fails most times). Consultancies can reduce their costs by using templates. That aproach really just transfers some of their costs on to the customer – it takes time for customers to fill out the templates, it’s costly to go back and forth clarifying things and to live with suboptimal solutions as a result of that.
My advice for customers is to closely watch the results of their consultant’s method and approach. If you feel that you are getting good value for the money, good solutions and that the process is working efficiently then stick with it. But, if you feel that you are spinning your wheels, not making progress, going back and forth clarifying things, then be bold and assertive with your consultant about changing the approach. Remember – you don’t replace HR systems all the time. Hopefully it’s an infrequent activity, so spending some extra effort getting it right will be worthwhile in the long run.