Bersin by Deloitte Launches Research on Successful Human Capital Management Technology Implementations with New Talent Tools & Technology Practice

OAKLAND, Calif., June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bersin by Deloitte today introduced new research on key factors HR organizations can use to succeed with human capital management (HCM) software as it also introduced a new Talent Tools & Technology practice. Both the new research and practice address an increasingly critical human resources and talent priority – HCM technologies, a nearly $10 billion market.[1]

Summarized in a complimentary WhatWorks® brief, Deploying HCM Technologies: Making Change Work, the research shows that organizations that are as focused on effective change management as on the technology itself are more likely than those without this focus to deliver successful HCM software implementations. The research will be accessible through Bersin's new Talent Tools & Technology practice, which provides in one easy-to-find online location the research-based insights, case studies, tools and leading practices to help organizations drive competitive advantage through their investments in HCM technologies. Bersin by Deloitte also is investing in its research team to support the new practice area, with the goal of making it even more relevant to WhatWorks® members.

"This new research and the new Talent Tools & Technology practice have been created in response to a growing need by human resource professionals to understand both new technology options for workforce management and leading practices for deploying those options," said David Mallon, head of research, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "Our research shows that many companies are adding or replacing their core HR systems – 37 percent implemented a standalone core HR product this year and 25 percent implemented an enterprise resource planning platform that included core HR software. We already have established a foundation as a provider of independent and timely solution provider analyses to guide investment decisions. We now plan to build on that foundation by taking research on the acquisition of new software to the next step – implementation."

Historically, HCM software implementations were driven by an organization's information technology department. Unfortunately, these implementations often were fraught with scope creep, cost overruns, disillusionment and sometimes the creation of "shelfware" – software acquired by an organization that is then left on the shelf.

"Today, HR leaders – not the information technology department – are driving technology implementations for workforce management," said Katherine Jones, vice president, HCM Technology Research, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and author of the research on deploying HCM technologies. "To succeed, these HR leaders should know how to manage change in ways they never have before. This new research provides the strategies, leading practices and processes to manage that change and to execute successful software deployment." 

The survey-based research from more than 120 enterprises that recently concluded a large-scale HCM software deployment was combined with dozens of interviews. The research also revealed that:

• A desire for cloud-delivered HCM applications predominated as the major shift in technology strategy, as noted by 41 percent of those with new technology strategies.
• Competing business requirements that arose during the course of an implementation adversely affected projects for 72 percent of companies studied.
• While not surprising, the complexities of a global rollout are the most challenging. Companies repeatedly underestimate that complexity, and the impact of compliance with country-specific legislation and regulations.
• Failure to understand the extent of integration work required was a key cause of delays and costs-overruns.

Most of the implementations studied in the course of this research were cloud implementations with three or four new software releases a year. A leading practice in overall software management stemming from this research is to develop an ongoing project team and procedures for review and execution of those new releases upfront in the initial project design phase.

For more details, visit: http://www.bersin.com/Deploying-HCM-Technologies-2014

To learn more, please register to join Dr. Katherine Jones for her online webinar, Five Top Requirements for a Successful HCM Technology Implementation, 2:00 pm ET / 19:00 BST on July 29, 2014.

Those interested in learning more about Bersin by Deloitte or its WhatWorks® membership may email [email protected] or call +1 510 251 4400.

About Bersin by Deloitte

Bersin by Deloitte delivers research-based people strategies designed to help leaders and their organizations in their efforts to deliver exceptional business performance. Our WhatWorks® membership gives Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 HR professionals the information and tools they need to design and implement leading practice solutions, benchmark against others, develop their staff, and select and implement systems. A piece of Bersin by Deloitte research is downloaded on average approximately every minute during the business day. More than 5,000 organizations worldwide use our research and consulting to guide their HR, talent and learning strategies. For more information, please visit http://www.deloitte.com/bersin or http://www.bersin.com.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

[1] Talent Optimization for the Global Workforce: The Market for Talent Management Systems 2014/Bersin by Deloitte, Katherine Jones, research coming in Q3 2014.

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