Case Studies and Client Stories

Background:

When a higher education institution with 4,000 employees began to detect small indicators of a potentially larger problem, we were contacted to step in and perform a third-party assessment of the human resources and payroll functions and processes. There were concerns that the issues were coming from the way payroll was being processed, as the management of the payroll function was new to the organization. Our goals for the assessment included identifying opportunities for technology systems upgrades, enhanced audits and controls, strengthened analytics and reporting, optimized productivity and quality of work, reduced costs, reliable fraud prevention and better enforced compliance with payroll policies and government regulations. 

Our Approach:

Aiming to focus only on the current year’s processes, we utilized many strategies during our assessment. First, we gathered expectations surrounding key payroll components, the current vendor, size, type, and complexity of the organization, the tenure of the organization and staff and the issues presented for consultative review. We then compared these expectations across industry benchmarking to identify any gaps in compliance and processes. In addition, we conducted individual and group interviews of key human resources, benefits, payroll, finance and information technology personnel, and shadowed payroll employees to learn the payroll process from beginning to end. Lastly, we analyzed the documentation of configuration, registers and standard operating procedures in search of inconsistencies with the stated process and expected compliance. 

Key Findings:

As a result of the assessment, we found many human resources and payroll issues including limited payroll engine functionality, frequent overpayments and off-cycle checks due to running multiple pay cycles for different employees, and manually tracked timekeeping. We also discovered multiple flaws relative to their in-house tax filing process which left the client vulnerable to non-compliance. We presented these findings to the executive board with full transparency using a SWOT analysis. 

Background:

A regional healthcare provider with 12,000 employees working in four hospitals, as well as 208 clinical settings and administrative offices, needed an independent assessment of progress on their strategic plans for HR. The organization had grown significantly over the previous 10 years through acquisition and organic growth. Despite this growth, the HR staff and their HR technology remained largely the same. The organization was in the process of revamping the HR organization and had launched five individual initiatives. We were retained to determine if these initiatives were on track and moving the right direction.  

The Solution

Our analysis, which was based on data gathered by interviewing members of all five teams and reviewing project plans and project charter documents, showed that the teams were on track but could use some additional cross functional communications and better project planning. The most significant finding of this study was that all five work teams were converging on and in need of new technology that could better support the resulting organization. The organization needed to determine the best technology strategy. Options included investing in the current 20-year-old highly customized solution, adding “best of breed” solutions or investing in new technology that could support the organizations as it continued to grow.

Once the strategy of adding new technology was agreed, we were retained to facilitate an independent vendor selection process with two incumbent vendors and one additional new vendor. The results of the selection process were a competitive and comparative cost analysis and client-driven assessment of each solution’s functionality and the vendors’ abilities to meet the needs of the organization.

We were further retained to run a competitive process to select the implementation provider.  Once the implementation vendor was chosen, we were retained to provide program and project management during the implementation process.

Background:

A University with approximately 1,000 employees and faculty were about nine months into using their new HR and Payroll cloud-based solution. The key users in HR, Benefits and Payroll were uncomfortable with the tool, and most of the paper-based processes that were in place prior to the go-live were still being used – despite the available features and functionality they had purchased. The client asked us for expertise in the HCM Technology area with specific knowledge of the HCM vendor and solution they were using.

Our Approach:

The goal of this initiative was to assess and document the HCM solution’s environment and its effect on the financial services organization’s processes, staff and policies. This assessment was used to determine how the product solution met or did not meet the needs of the organization. 

This engagement included:

• Project Management
• Detailed Current State Review and Assessment
• Preparation and Presentation of Findings and Recommendations to the Client

The approach to this assessment involved travelling to the client site and spending time with not only key HR/Payroll users but also with senior management. We prepared a great deal for these in-person meetings by requesting client materials ahead of time and gathering/studying as much information as possible. We prepared detailed agendas for the in-person meetings so that participants could prepare and so that the time for both our consultant and the client could be maximized.

Assessment:

Having a well-matched consultant on a project like this is critical. In this case, the consultant had many years of corporate HR practitioner and HRIS management experience, multiple past clients in the industry and strong bench strength in the specific product suite with which this client was struggling. Therefore, the client in-person meetings flowed smoothly, and all relevant information was discussed and analyzed. This allowed for follow-up topics that the client may have not known to present as a question or an issue, too.

Oftentimes in an assessment like this, some users in the in-person meetings may restrain, to a certain extent, out of fear of being viewed as “at-fault” in the difficulties the organization experienced. This is common and understandable, so it is important to employ active listening techniques with an empathetic ear to gently break down any defensiveness that might arise. The point is to avoid having the client feel like they are “getting the third degree” in terms of how questions are presented. Simultaneously, it’s also important to also keep to the agenda and move conversations along productively.

Sample Findings:

• Key implementation challenges included unresolved configuration issues in Time Management, PTO, and GL, incomplete W2 mappings, and unfinished 403(b) vendor integration—all leading to manual workarounds. 
• Vendor management was hampered by tax filing system failures, lack of a reliable issues log, inconsistent meeting attendance, and underqualified service desk support.
• Additionally, the system’s features were underused: mobile and self-service functions were not deployed, manual data entry persisted, reporting tools were neglected, and oversight was lacking in HRIS, testing, and system security.