HRIS implementation: a step-by-step guide to unifying people data and improving EX

When your organization outgrows its HR systems, the need for an HRIS can feel daunting. You’ve invested time in building processes, and transitioning to new workflows is a significant undertaking. But as your company scales, gaps in your tech stack become hard to ignore. Without self-service tools, for example, employees may struggle to request PTO or access pay details, and HR teams may lack crucial data for headcount planning and engagement initiatives. 

HR leaders are left to decide whether implementing a new HRIS is worth all the effort. After all, a robust HRIS can do a lot — including time tracking, absence management, performance reviews, surveys, and even payroll, providing you with the capabilities you need to develop core HR processes, plus people enablement strategies that’ll make your company a great place to work.

If you’ve decided to move forward with a new HRIS (which may even be your first) that’ll better suit your needs, that’s great. The human resource management market is projected to reach over US$56 billion by 2030,* and HR is evolving at a very rapid pace.

If your answer is “I’m still not sure,” keep reading. Think of this guide as a step-by-step roadmap that’ll make HRIS implementation as stress-free as possible whenever you decide to do so.

🤝 Unify your people data & drive employee success

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*Grand View Research, 2024
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What is the HRIS implementation process?

The human resource information system (HRIS) implementation process involves deploying and integrating software dedicated to handling core HR functions like employee data management, time tracking, payroll, performance management, training, and surveys. Since it can be a major undertaking, HRIS implementation is usually led by the HR department in cooperation with other key stakeholders — which may include the CFO and CTO.

When successfully implemented, a powerful HRIS (particularly one with people enablement features) can automate workflows and provide HR teams with features and insights for data and payroll management, compensation, performance, engagement, skills gaps, and more — ultimately contributing to a people-centered workplace.
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6 essential steps to a successful HRIS implementation

Implementing an HRIS requires a structured approach. Use these steps as a roadmap for plotting your own journey.

1. Assess current HR processes and determine company needs

If you’re currently using entirely manual processes, your needs will be more immediately apparent. For one, you’ll probably need an HRIS that can store all of your employee data, automate leave managaement, and improve how you handle payroll preparation.

But if you’re already using HR software that isn’t keeping up with your business’s requirements and growth trajectory, figuring out your next steps might be more complex. Start by talking to department heads and employees about their experience and ask what suggestions they’d make for improvement. 

In particular, you may want to investigate:

• Performance review processes — How are different teams and departments approaching assessments? Is there a standardized workflow, or is everyone coming up with their own system? Creating a centralized, consistent performance review process makes it easier for HR leaders and managers to identify performance discrepancies across the company.
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• ‍Skills and training gaps — Does your organization use a competency framework to map out skills for every role and level? If not, there are HRIS platforms that offer development matrix tools so you can see exactly which competencies are most lacking internally and curate training accordingly.

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• Employee engagement data — Are you leveraging data to help you determine how satisfied and engaged team members are? Or are you assuming based on surface-level observations? To make stronger, data-guided decisions, choose an HRIS that provides you with actionable insights based on people analytics. Survey tools can also be useful so you can investigate areas where your employee engagement initiatives may be lacking.
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Once you’ve pinpointed your most pressing needs, add them to your HRIS requirements checklist so you’ll be well-positioned to investigate solutions that can support you with these higher-level functions.

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2. Choose the best HRIS for your organization

It’s time to assemble a cross-departmental team that can help you choose an HRIS software that’ll benefit employees and leaders. Working together, you can determine:

• The level of customization you need — It’s best when an HRIS offers plenty of flexibility, allowing you to create and adjust automations for processes like onboarding, 360-degree performance reviews, and pulse surveys.

• How your other software will communicate with existing systems — Make sure the tools you use to collaborate and communicate with your team connect directly with your HRIS so no one ever misses a message or notification.

• Budget — You’ll want to determine the resources you have to allocate to your new HRIS, but you can also work with sales teams to create pricing packages that work for your business’ budget.

• Timelines — Determine how much time you have to fully implement an HRIS from start to finish and weigh that against the timelines that different HRIS vendors can offer.

• The level of support you require — Ideally, your software solution of choice should have a customer experience team like Leapsome’s that’ll be able to oversee your onboarding and help you integrate your HRIS with the rest of your tech stack.
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3. Prepare for migration and implementation

Make sure that everyone understands the highest priorities during this phase, which include:

• Data migration — You can do this manually or with the help of a tech professional, either internal or external.

• Data security — Your new HRIS should meet your company’s data security requirements. For instance, Leapsome is compliant with CCPA, GDPR, and ISO 27001:2022 regulations, all of which help ensure that you keep sensitive employee and financial data secure.

• Workflow configuration — Work with the software’s customer experience team and internal stakeholders to create workflows that make sense for everyone. Start with visual outlines of your ideal processes and recreate them with your new HRIS platform’s features as much as possible.

• HRIS training — Instead of leaving team members to figure out how the new HRIS works on their own (which is a surefire way to harm adoption rates), use a tool like Leapsome Learning to create a short, self-paced training course they can follow.

4. Test, gather feedback, and find solutions

Implementing an HRIS can be complex, so it might be a good idea to roll it out in phases. Work together closely with one or two departments and test how the HRIS works, gather team member input, and reconfigure workflows where needed. 

When prompting HRIS testers for their input, ask questions like:

• Was any aspect of using the new HRIS challenging?
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• How long did it take you to get the hang of using the HRIS?
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• Are there any features that seem unnecessary to you?
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• What feature of the new HRIS has been most helpful?
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• Has the new HRIS saved you time? If so, how?
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• Has the new HRIS saved your department time? If so, how?
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• What processes have the new HRIS made easier for you?
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• What, if any, other tasks or processes do you want the HRIS to accomplish?

You can have conversations with the team members who are testing out the new HRIS in informal chats, dedicated meetings, or questionnaires. Whatever the case, make sure to clearly record their responses for future reference. 

Depending on the answers you get, you may need to make small adjustments to your configurations or schedule a meeting with the service provider for more detailed information. 
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5. Launch your new HRIS

Avoid launching a new HRIS on employees without context or warning, as it will surely lead to frustration, confusion, and poor adoption rates. First, let everyone know when and how you’re testing out your new HRIS, provide adequate training to all team members, and then roll it out company-wide.

• Forward all HRIS training content and resources to employees — Make sure team members have access to any dedicated materials the service provider provided you with. Equally, equip them with links to FAQs and help center articles.
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• Provide thorough training for all users — In addition to external training materials, you should run your own courses, in-person sessions, or webinars so all employees understand how to use the new system for their specific roles and responsibilities.
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• Check in with department heads — Ask team leads for feedback about how the new HRIS is working for them and their teams.  
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6. Optimize and audit the platform over time

It’s OK if your HRIS isn’t a perfect fix to all of your problems right away. As Leapsome’s Senior People Ops Manager Samantha Sterkenberg says, “Once you find the tool that checks all the boxes, implementation takes lots of custom configuration, testing, training, solid communications, and ongoing support.” 

But why should you keep testing and optimizing even after implementation is done? Because your organization will change as it grows, making ongoing auditing a necessity.

As you evaluate your HRIS over time, consider how well it’s performing along these pillars:

• Staying on track with goals — Has the system contributed to the company’s ability to meet larger organizational goals for performance, engagement, and efficiency? 
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• Return on investment (ROI) — Has the HRIS proven its ROI by allowing you to consolidate your HR tech stack and saving you the time and money you were wasting on manual systems and outdated software?
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• Employee experience — Do team members enjoy using your HRIS? Has it made their and their colleagues’ work easier and more straightforward? 
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• Scalability — Has the platform allowed you to scale, or at least helped you map out a clear roadmap for future growth?
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Top tips for a smoother HRIS implementation

Today’s HRIS platforms can do so much that it can often lead to decision-making paralysis during the research phase. Keep these parameters in mind to help you narrow down your options:

• Prioritize open APIs for easier integration — “Whether it’s integrating with other HR applications or outside applications such as a customer relationship management system…” shares Rebecca Wettemann, CEO and principal analyst at HR technology analyst firm Valoir for SHRM, “...open APIs — or even better, prebuilt connectors to other systems — will reduce both initial and ongoing cost and support demands of the HRIS.”

• Make the most of demos and trials — Scripted demos and webinars are helpful, but they won’t allow you to assess how the product will fit your unique needs. If possible, use trial periods so you can have a couple of teams test the platform and share their unique perspectives.
  
  
• Consider AI-powered tools — Leapsome leverages AI to help you draft survey questions, summarize performance review results, whip up meeting agendas, generate action plans based on engagement survey data, and more! That gives HR teams more time to report back, strategize, and enact the data-informed initiatives the software suggests.     
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Create the work experiences of the future with the right HRIS

In a healthy work ecosystem, HR leaders prioritize the employee experience alongside business-critical goals — and don’t exclude decisions around HRIS implementation from that equation.

In practice, that means giving staff time to test a new platform and suggest workflow improvements. While that sounds like a bigger time investment, it’s the best way to avoid finding another option sooner than you’d like.

If you value a people-centered approach to HRIS, Leapsome’s new platform might be your ideal solution.  Leapsome is more than an HR platform: it’s a holistic people enablement solution with a comprehensive suite of tools for conducting engagement surveys and performance evaluations,  developing employees, and even handling compensation reviews, time tracking, and payroll.

Best of all, our award-winning support team will be there during your transition and beyond, collaborating with you to make our employee-centric platform a machine for your business success.

⚡ Ready for an HR platform that enhances employee experience?

Leapsome combines performance management, development, compensation, engagement, and more in a single, data-driven platform to empower every stage of the employee journey.

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