Dealing with Data in Your New HCM System, Oy Vey!
So, your organization has decided to move forward with implementing a new human capital management (HCM) platform. The project team was put together, collaboration meetings began, discussions were had, and vendors were vetted. The perfect system was identified to accommodate your organization’s needs, and a project plan developed. You’ve rolled up your sleeves and have mentally prepared yourself for this daunting task. All seems to be moving along rather smoothly until you come to the data migration phase of the project. Oy vey is right!
Of all the phases and steps of a system implementation, we would argue none may be more challenging and demand more attention than that of data migration. This should come as no surprise. Ultimately, a foundational purpose of the system itself is to manage your company’s data, correct? Of course, it would be a cumbersome task. Well, it doesn’t have to be. Migrating your data can be a success when you focus on a few key steps – plan, migrate, and validate.
Data Plan
Do not underestimate the importance of taking the time to thoroughly plan out the process when it comes to data migration. Begin by selling the process to the project team and stakeholders. Success starts with everyone being invested and staying engaged. Disengagement and lack of commitment are early indicators of failure. Identify key players, making sure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Set expectations early. Anything having to do with data takes time, and anything left unclear will only add to the already tight and dynamic timeline.
Planning should also address data clean-up. There is no better time to review the accuracy of your data than prior to migrating to a new system. The old adage “garbage in, garbage out” is well applied to this situation. Before you move to a new system – whether it be a full-suite enterprise HCM, payroll, benefits technology, or other standalone HCM platform – we recommend that you update your data sets and remove redundant information. By this time everyone in your organization should be aware of the forthcoming changes in the new system. Encourage them to report any changes in personal data, pronto! Taking these steps to update the quality of data prior to migration will ensure the data that remains is meaningful and has integrity.
Data Migration
Migrating your data can be a technical process. All technical aspects should be entrusted to a subject matter expert, either in-house or an astute partner or consultant if your bandwidth does not allow for such in-house expertise. Prior to executing the migration, be sure the new system has undergone thorough testing. Testing the validity and integrity of the new system with dummy data will prove to be invaluable in the long run. It’s also vital to understand such things as the purpose of the migration, mapping requirements, and the scope of the outcome prior to migrating. This is why it is so important to entrust this process to a knowledgeable team of experts.
The actual act of migrating your data can be challenging and tedious. Pulling data from your legacy system to convert, validate, reformat and check compatibility can be painful, to the point of scratching your eyes out! Migration tools can alleviate this pain point. Here are some attractive features to expect when you invest in Providence Technology Solutions and our proprietary HCM Xpert Series software tools:
- Supports commonly used data formats
- Implements and integrates data from/to many of the most frequently used systems
- Enables data migration without the need for complex coding
- Easy configuration and reconfiguration for each project’s needs
Data Validation
Migration tools can also assist with validating your data. Testing and validating the data and the system are crucial steps in crossing that finish line strong. It is very easy to become lax during this stage. We would urge you not to. Run validation tests. Pull reports and statistics. Try to “break” the system. Identify and work out all the system bugs here, prior to going live. When your system is ready to be launched, communicate this project information, conduct your go-live meeting, and celebrate. You made it!
Unfortunately, many data migrations fail due to several different factors. However, you can be successful in your data migration by investing in the process and holding steadfast to the methodology. We at Providence Technology Solutions are invested in you, your project, and your success. Our team of experts can help you implement and manage through your new HCM system and data migration with great success. We are innovators as we continue to seek creative ways to serve our partners with our consultative services and our own proprietary data migration tools. Our Xpert Series migration tools allow us to migrate data faster, with more accuracy, and at a lower cost. So, let us do the heavy lifting. Our experts are comprised of consultants who bring decades of experience and expertise to the table. Let us assist you with all your project needs because when IT matters to you, IT matters to us.
