Time Entry Overview
Contact Usscope
The purpose of the Timekeeping System Implementation Blueprint is to provide a standard methodology for implementing Workforce Timekeeper into your environment. Based on experience drawn from a multitude of successful implementations by Kim Curtis, as well as industry standard best practices, this guide was designed specifically to help University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill effectively and efficiently implement Workforce Timekeeper to its fullest potential.
Having a firm understanding of the requirements, activities and deliverables associated with each phase of a Workforce Timekeeper implementation project prior to starting the project will greatly enhance the probability of success in the short term. It will also enable the solution to continually provide substantial value to the business and IT customers that will rely upon it over the long term.
The scope of the TIP project is to replace the manual paper reporting timekeeping system with an electronic timekeeping process. In the process automate the calculation of time as required by the existing payroll system. Plan for the future implementation of a replacement payroll system, where the interfaces and data transfers will not need to be redeveloped. Implement a central repository for all employees collected leave balances with detail data for employees to have access to both view and report. Implement a standard process to allow employees, managers, human resource facilitators to electronically approve time recorded for payroll purposes. Include a standard process to allow all employees to request time off online with automated deduction of leave time balance.
When reading this document please note the*symbol indicates a recommendation is being made or a ‘Best Practice is being referenced.
METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW
The implementation methodology is broken into five high level phases. The phases are designed to be run in sequence as the outputs from one phase are required inputs into the next phase.Phase: Assess
Description: The first activity in the TIP project exercise is to evaluate the existing environment and understand the design goals of the Workforce Timekeeper solution within UNCCH and UNCGA. The majority of this information must come from your Payroll, HR and IT staff as well as existing documentation. This section describes the information that the project team needs before they can complete the Plan, Design, Implement and Manage phases of the project.Phase: Plan
Description: This phase is focused on defining and validating the project objectives and key success criteria. It also includes the development of a comprehensive project plan that includes all major project milestones, resources and project responsibilities across the different IT related competencies in your organization.Phase: Design
Description: The design phase of the methodology examines three key areas: people, process and technology.The project requirements and knowledge of the organization are used to determine the required architecture. A solution design specification is developed that includes the physical, logical and security design for the proposed architecture, integration and monitoring requirements. The project plan is updated based on the new design.
Phase: Deploy
Description: This phase includes all key activities involved in moving into full production deployment. It involves building the environment, installation of core software, initial pilot of agents, and deployment of monitoring policies, reporting and alerting. It includes post-pilot review and optimization and development of a production deployment plan prior to execution of this plan. It also includes development of all production operational procedures and documentation.Phase: Manage
Description: This phase of the project should be repeated regularly to ensure optimization and alignment with best practices. It involves a review of new technical, business and functional requirements to determine required system changes. It is recommended that an initial review of the deployed solution be conducted no less than thirty (30) and no more that sixty (60) days after the go live date to ensure that the solution is meeting the initial requirements of the project.Beyond the initial review, it is recommended that a regular review be conducted at least every six (6) months.
Project Management and Knowledge Transfer
Project management and knowledge transfer should be consistent throughout the entire lifecycle of the project. Project management is required to ensure that team members remain focused on assigned activities and to communicate any changes in timelines or activities to appropriate personnel.KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are those few actions, outcomes or conditions that contribute most directly to the success of the project. KPIs can be categorized into a number of different areas including project sponsorship, project management and project staffing and delivery. Ultimately, it is the University who owns responsibility for the successful implementation of your Timekeeping System investment. This responsibility and accountability can be shared across key project resources including the Senior Project Manager, your internal project team, outside consultants and/or Timekeeping System consultants, but it is critical that there is a clear project vision and Executive sponsorship for the project. The critical success factors for a Timekeeping System Workforce Timekeeper implementation are as follows:- Project Vision
Having a clearly defined vision that all team members are in agreement with is vitally important. A clearly defined vision helps keep the project team focused on the overall end goal rather than getting consumed with individual tasks. - Management and customer involvement
Management commitment and involvement are key to the success of any major project. Because the implementation of a Service Management (which includes Systems, Network and Enterprise Management) solution typically involves changes to the way that IT and direct staff currently operate, it is important for senior level management to be fully committed to the success of the project. Your active involvement is also critical. You will have the final say as to the success or failure of the solution and therefore, it is critical that requirements be validated at the beginning of each and every phase of the project. - Project Organization
An effective project organization structure is critical to the success of any project. Clearly defined roles, activities and responsibilities will help ensure that team members focus on the tasks that they have responsibility for. At times, it is entirely possible that the same person may have multiple roles and responsibilities. This is fine as long as that individual understands the differences in the roles and budgets his or her time accordingly. - Experience in Systems or Network Management Implementations
Enterprise Management, Systems Management and Network Management are all very similar disciplines. Previous experience in any one of these three areas is essential as the processes and activities associated with good infrastructure management are sometimes hard to grasp. A good Systems Management engineer has a unique ability to analyze and set up monitoring of an IT environment from both a bottom (Infrastructure) up perspective as well as from a top (Customer) down perspective. - Knowledge of Timekeeping System Workforce Timekeeper Software
The Timekeeping System is easy to install and operate, but is a very mature enterprise application. Because of this, a thorough understanding of how the product works is essential. Depending on the size of the overall deployment, knowledge gained from Workforce Timekeeper training courses, while helpful, may not be sufficient to help ensure a successful implementation. At least one member of the project team should have previous experience with Timekeeper in an environment similar to or larger than the size of your planned environment. - Knowledge of core IT operations Processes
Knowledge of key IT operations processes is critical to the success of your project. Configuring the robust timekeeping, reporting and alerting capabilities of Timekeeper requires many decisions about how the organization operates both today and how it will operate in the future. These decisions need to be made in conjunction with the overall IT and business strategies. - Communication Plan and Execution
Communication is a key factor in the success of Timekeeping Implementations. Planning each communication, its’ recipients and authors, as well as timing and deadlines are all components that are critical to a successful outcome. Employees will read material when it’s related to their pay check. Please explain processes carefully and cover any planned changes in great detail. Informed employees know how to process time entry effectively.
Taking into account the above Key Performance Indicators, let’s look at the individual Phases in detail. Continue Reading »