Gaining benefits from the collaborative opportunities and information on CORE: IHRIM Spotlight on Volunteer Denise Eppel, We Energies

IHRIM is pleased to feature Denise Eppel in the Volunteer Spotlight.  Denise, Senior HR Business Analyst, We Energies, has been an IHRIM member since 2010.

Please tell us a little about your professional life such as what your job entails; how you got involved with HR technology; major accomplishments; current projects or challenges, etc.
I started in the HR technology field about 13 ½ years ago. I began as a specialist in an employee shared services department with duties ranging from HR data analysis and entry into the HRIS to responding and resolving employee HR questions. Over the years, I took on work and projects of increasing responsibility related to the HRIS operations, including directly managing a team of HRIS analysts. I have expertise in many areas of HR operations including HR data maintenance, process improvement, acquisition/divestiture activity, HR shared services call center, business requirements documentation for system enhancement/implementation projects, training records management, annual salary review, HRIS reporting and HRIS vendor management. I have been at my current employer, We Energies, for three and a half years as a Sr. HR Business Analyst. I have responsibility for our training system usage and management, provide support of our organizational development initiatives, and am involved in HR system projects across all areas in HR. The most recent large-scale projects, in which I was the project manager, was the replacement of our applicant tracking system and the implementation of our onboarding system. The Onboarding implementation project was awarded one of the IHRIM 2013 Project of the Year Awards, and I am looking forward to sharing our success story as a session at the 2014 Conference!

A current challenge our HR team is working through is a company-wide Talent Management Strategy. We are intending to be able to make long term HR system decisions and plans based from the strategy.

When did you join IHRIM and why?  What is the greatest value you get from your membership?   Is there any advice you would give other members?

I joined IHRIM in the fall of 2010 when I joined my current company We Energies. I was encouraged to seek outside professional organizations to maintain and increase my knowledge. I found IHRIM on the internet and really liked what I read about the organization from the website. One of the benefits I gain from the membership is the collaborative opportunities and information from the IHRIM CORE site. A lot of informative information is shared and discussed in the groups on CORE which I find invaluable to both my personal and professional growth as an HRIS professional. I studied, took and passed the HRIP Certification exam in April 2012. For me, the importance of the HRIP certification helps make the statement that I am committed to the profession and knowledgeable in the HR technology field.

What were the primary reasons you became an IHRIM volunteer and joined the Volunteer Connections Group?    

This is my second year as an IHRIM Social Media Contributor volunteer. I chose to volunteer for a couple of reasons. First, to give back to IHRIM for all I have learned and gained in being associated with this organization. Second, as a learning for me personally in the social media space. I was not a heavy user of the social media avenues and this really led me to get a better understanding of Twitter, Linked In and the CORE site. I was on the Annual Conference Content Review committee this year. This was another opportunity to give back to the organization and also understand a little of what it takes to prepare for the annual conference.  I was a part time room monitor at the 2013 conference for the first time as well. I was able to meet more people by visiting with them before the sessions began.

How do you see being a volunteer benefiting your career?
Volunteering has exposed me to more information about our field, and I find myself reading more discussions and posts online. I would like to think that this has at the same time increased my knowledge in the HRIS field.

Any other perspective you want to share with the IHRIM audience?

I encourage everyone to consider participating in one of the many volunteer activities that IHRIM has to offer. It is a great way to get more involved and knowledgeable about IHRIM and our field. 

 
For more information on IHRIM’s Volunteer Program and how you can get involved, go to http://bit.ly/IHRIM_Volunteer_Program.

Escaping the Landmines: Maneuvering Around the Vendor Landscape

IHRIM Guest Blogger:
John Hinojos, HRIP, Vice President, Consulting Services, HRchitect

Every time I go to a Human Capital Management (HCM) technology vendor exposition, whether it is at IHRIM, HRTech, or one of the many HR Associations, I am always amazed at the number of vendors, especially new vendors. It has become an overwhelming job just knowing the changes and upgrade offerings of the major players in HCM, but dozens of new niche vendors offer new systems solutions each year. How do you know what the right fit is? Which will be reliable? Who will treat your organization as special? These are tough questions to answer in the fast changing world of HCM technology.

Before you begin to evaluate vendors, you must first have a battle plan. Without this plan you will have a harder time in stepping around the landmines of the technology world. To create a plan, first you need to understand your needs and create a strategy. If you have already done an HCM Strategic Plan, take it off the shelf and review it. Does it need changing? If so, you will need to update the plan by conducting some type of requirements discovery. These can be high level with key system stakeholders. Once you have your updated requirements you can see where the old strategic plan needs to be updated.

Once you have a strategy, you need to know more specifics on where you want to go. This is best discovered by talking with team members who are directly involved with the HR administration. Oftentimes, we talk only to our management team members, but understanding how things are actually done by those on the front lines is also critical. You should also conduct focus groups or individual discussions with key stakeholders. Remember, many of your stakeholders are outside of HR. Don’t forget to include them.

Now that you have all the discovery done, you can create a listing of your specific requirements. Don’t forget to rank or prioritize each requirement. I usually recommend a 1 to 3 scale: 1 – Nice to Have or Low; 2 – Need to Have or Medium; and 3 – Must Have or High. Giving each requirement a priority will allow you to understand which elements of your current or new technology is critical to your success, regardless of what others may tell you to include.

Once you have all these steps completed, you are ready for battle with the vendors. Look for a vendor who you feel will be a good partner and ally. There are many vendors out there, many you may not even know. How do you find the right one? You may need outside help for this. Consulting firms keep up on most all of the vendors. There may be a few not on their radar, but a good consultant can help you through the myriad of vendors. If you want to use the internet, I would suggest you go to an HR site such as IHRIM, SHRM or any professional HR association. They are usually a good starting point. Another way to isolate potential vendors is to network with like organizations to see what they are using and if it performs the way they had anticipated.

When looking at vendors, you must also consider their viability. There are many new vendors coming into the HR space every year, but some are not able to get the necessary funding to remain active. Others are purchased by other vendors and their product can either be integrated into the new vendor’s product or be eliminated altogether. You need to do your due diligence. Again, this is an area where a good consultant can help you. They have the tools to help you understand your vendor of choice’s viability and financial strength.

With good discovery, prioritized requirements, and strong outside assistance, you can successfully get through the minefield and link up with the correct vendor to provide you with years of HCM technology.

This posting originally appeared in HRchitect's Blog:  The Puzzling World of HRtechnology

Looking to select/upgrade an HR systems solution?  Join John Hinojos and other HR and HR information management colleagues at the IHRIM 2014 Conference & Technology Expo, June 1-4 in Anaheim, California.  Registration is now open.