Assignment 4: Phase IV – Plan Summary: Gladwell Stores Project Plan

QUESTION

Assignment Overview

Over the course of the next several weeks, you will go through the different phases of implementing an HRIS for the hypothetical company, Gladwell Grocery Stores. Read the case scenario details for Gladwell Grocery Stores below, and refer back to the information for each phase of the implementation. The HRIS implementation is separated into the four (4) phases described in the table below.

Gladwell Grocery Stores Case Scenario

Gladwell Grocery Stores has ten (10) stores in upstate New York. They have approximately 400 – 440 employees. Most of the employees are part time, with approximately 45% of them full time. The operations manager, Tom Bell, also acts as the HR manager and travels to each location each week to take care of recruiting, scheduling, hiring, and answering questions for the employees as needed. He also takes care of payroll using Excel spreadsheets and has computer software to print payroll checks.

Mr. Bell approaches you, an independent HR consultant and owner of your own consulting firm, for a proposal. He would like to greatly reduce his travel to each location each week, due to the increase in gasoline costs. He is curious to know if there is anything you can suggest in helping him complete his HR tasks more efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. He hopes there is some way he can do part of his HR tasks from his office instead of traveling to each location every week.

Assignment 4: Phase IV – Plan Summary

At this stage, you have a solid understanding of the problem the company is facing and you have provided a solution for your client. Now, you want Gladwell Grocery Stores to accept your project plan. Mr. Bell likes your idea and would like you to present your project plan to the executive board.

Use the feedback from your instructor on previous assignments, the textbook, and any other resources provided in the course and create a professional project plan that you will be presenting to the executive board of Gladwell Grocery Store.

Please include the following elements:

• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Introduction to the Problem
• Business Analysis
• Proposal Overview
• HRIS Type and Comparison
• Recommendation for an HRIS Vendor
• Project Management Roadmap
• Conclusion

Please do not simply copy and paste Phases 1-3. The previous phases were considered raw data, and now you will be summarizing and finalizing your findings. You want to apply critical thinking to describe the data you have obtained.

Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:

1. Identify the current issue that the business is facing and propose an HRIS solution. Introduce the HR function that you chose as the focus of your business proposal, and explain the potential benefit for the business if that function is addressed.
2. Propose a type of HRIS for the organization in the scenario. Discuss the function that the HRIS serves, and identify how that system will solve the business issue.
3. Compare and contrast at least two (2) HRIS vendors. Based on this comparison, make a case for the one (1) vendor that you recommend for your client.
4. Create a project management roadmap for the client with projected timelines. Discuss the costs associated with the implementation, justifying your claims with HR metrics and cost benefit analysis.
5. Use at least (4) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

6. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
   1. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
   2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
   3. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze the strategy of the organization, the HR strategy, and HR programs with HRIS.
• Analyze key elements of the design in database HR relationships and evaluate system considerations in the design.
• Create an HRIS needs analysis and evaluate the acquisition process.

• Analyze HR metrics to support the justification of the cost of an HRIS.

• Create a project management plan and prepare the organization for the implementation.
• Analyze the complexities of HRIS administration.

• Evaluate the role of HRIS with performance management, compensation, benefits, and payroll.

• Use technology and information resources to research issues in human resource information systems.
• Write clearly and concisely about human resource information systems using proper writing mechanics.

ANSWER

Gladwell Stores Project Plan

INTRODUCTION

Purpose of Project Plan

This project plan has been prepared to be presented to the management of Gladwell Grocery Stores. It details a research and assessment conducted on the challenges facing the business’ human resource management, and to bring to light a proposal of the adoption and subsequent implementation of a proper HR management information system (HRIS) to solve the problems.

The project plan defines the following:

• Project purpose
• Project goals and objectives
• Project management
• Project budget
• Project timeline
• Cost-benefit analysis

Background Information

Mr. Bell, Gladwell Grocery Stores operations manager, has been in the past carrying out the business’ human resource functions all by himself. He performs duties such as employee recruitment, hiring, planning, scheduling and communication to employees. The performance of these roles has proven quite expensive to him, and he seeks a solution to the challenge.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Following the problems brought forward by Mr. Bell, a business assessment was carried out on Gladwell Stores human resource management, and how the challenges could be solved. Implementation of a human resource information system (HRIS) is proposed. This project plan justifies why the adoption of an HRIS would be beneficial to Gladwell Stores, the recommended HRIS type and supplier, the costs involved and the expected benefits and improvements in employees’ management.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Mr. Bell plays the role of both the firm’s project manager and the human resource manager. The performance of these two important jobs has proven exhausting and time inefficient. He travels to the business’ ten outlets spread out in New York, every week, to perform tasks such as staff recruitment, scheduling of programs, hiring, employee training, communication with workers, and answering employee’ queries.  His major problem has been inefficiency due to delays and high traveling costs as a result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Mr. Bell also takes care of payroll using excel spreadsheets, for all the over 400 employees. This is also incredibly tedious and inefficient. A solution that can improve efficiency in his undertakings, and save on costs is, therefore, required.

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

An assessment of Gladwell Grocery Stores revealed that the business lacks a proper human resources department or team. It also does not use any HRIS in its human resource management operations. The task of employee’ management is therefore very tedious and inefficient. Communication between the ten stores is also difficult and time-consuming. The costs minimized by having Mr. Bell carry out the human resource manager duties are incurred in his performance of these HR duties. The firm lacks a proper payroll system, as Mr. Bell is tasked with preparing payroll manually, using excel software. This is a time-consuming task that has many errors and is inefficient. All the questions that the employees of Gladwell have are handled by Mr. Bell in his weekly visits. All these named problems can be solved by the implementation of an HRIS software in the operations of the business.

PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

After detailed research and assessment were done, the implementation of an HRIS was proposed as the best solution to Mr. Bell’s challenges (Troshani, Jerram, Rao Hill, 2011). This software would have to provide a system for fulfilling HR duties with minimal cost and with utmost efficiency.

HRIS TYPE AND COMPARISON

An investigation into the available types of HRIS software led to the decision that a tactical type of HRIS would be best suited for the challenges affecting Mr. Bell. This type of HRIS provides a job analysis system, job design information system, employee’ compensation system, workers’ benefits information system, an employee training and development system, and a proper payroll system. It would, therefore, automate all the HR functions that Mr. Bell currently undertakes, easing delivery and improving efficiency (Chauhan, Sharma, Tyagi, 2011).

HRIS VENDOR SELECTION

Two HRIS vendors, SAP and Bitrix24, were compared and the latter chosen as the best vendor for Gladwell. Bitrix24 offers a system that has a payroll system, is easy to use, requires little capital to implement, and can be used by employees for communication. SAP offers a system that is quite complex and requires training, and at a high cost to the firm (Ristevska, 2015).

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COST ASSESSMENT

            The implementation of the Bitrix24 system into Gladwell will be done following the steps listed below (Delorme, Arcand, 2009):

• Considering the change the introduction of the software would have to the employees and management and conducting proper detailed communication to the concerned parties.
• Hiring an HRIS consultant to help with implementation and advice, and the proper use of the system.
• Migration of raw data from Mr. Bell’s manual records into the system, and considering the security of that data, in the cloud.
• System testing after installation, and solving any errors and difficulties in use.
• User training and project budgeting.
• Going live to experience first-hand use of the new system, and
• Identifying any challenges in usage of the system

The operational cost of the Bitrix24 system is projected at $99 per month, and data usage cost at $10. The current monthly expenses of Mr. Bell are $108 for fuel, and cost of paperwork is $94. The use of the HRIS would, therefore, save a total of $93 every month. Communication improvement, cost of hiring, collaboration and teamwork, and the time taken to complete tasks are some of the HR metrics that can be used to check and ascertain the success of the HRIS implementation project (Lawler III, Levenson, Boudreau, 2004).

CONCLUSION

From the above project proposal, the implementation of an HRIS in the operations of Gladwell Grocery Stores would not only ease Mr. Bell’s responsibilities but also improve the efficiency of the firm in handling its employees. HRIS implementation would, therefore, be a milestone in high standard HR services delivery to the workforce at Gladwell Grocery Stores.

References

Delorme, M., & Arcand, M. (2009). HRIS implementation and deployment: a conceptual      framework of the new roles, responsibilities and competences for HR professionals. International journal of Business information systems, 5(2), 148-161.

Lawler III, E. E., Levenson, A. R., & Boudreau, J. W. (2004). HR metrics and analytics: Use and impact. People and Strategy, 27(4), 27.

Chauhan, A., Sharma, S. K., & Tyagi, T. (2011). Role of HRIS in improving modern HR operations. Review of Management, 1(2), 58.

Troshani, I., Jerram, C., & Rao Hill, S. (2011). Exploring the public sector adoption of HRIS. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 111(3), 470-488.

Ristevska, A. (2015). KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE–NECESSARY PART  OF EACH MARKETING CAMPAIGN. IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Business Management (IMPACT: IJRBM), 3(4), 1-6.