Human resource management system implementation at Riordan Manufacturing

System Implementation

The implementation stage of the Riordan project may prove to be the most challenging yet, but one that is worth all the effort. It would take a team of experts in various fields to successfully see this stage successfully through to completion, it cannot be a one-man show. Several departments within the organization have to be given priority when it comes to rolling out the new human resource management system. Since this system is automated and rests on an Information Technology platform, the first two departments to consider would be the human resource management and Information Technology departments. All the teams of professionals within these departments would have to be part and parcel of the entire system design and development process. The other departments to consider would be those of finance and operations management as they too are a fundamental part of the organization's decision making framework.

Coding

As the new human resource management system is designed for Riordan Manufacturing, it is imperative to consider all its essential features and functions so as to ensure a flawless module is developed. These features and functions are tied firmly to computer programs for end users as well as those for system administrators. Databases for keeping and maintaining all the information within the system are also of prime importance during the implementation stage. It is therefore imperative that the group of professionals from the Information Technology department, more so the system developers bear in mind the usability of the system so as to ensure they generate the correct types of computer software for application within the system.

The standards and procedures to use during the development of system software on which the new automated human resource management structure would be based depend entirely on the keen instructions of the trusted group of experts in that field. There are several platforms that may guide the coding process of the new system. These platforms are all reliable in their effectiveness and may be used as advised. One such method is the Iterative method. This is whereby selected groups of experts are divided into distinct sets, each handling a separate aspect of the new system. Iteration, as applied during this method, guides the developers and designers through the entire process by tackling one area at a time. The completion of one stage in the system development project using the Iterative method depends on the assured completion of the preceding stage (Marciniak, 2002).

Installation

This stage is whereby the old system of human resource management is replaced with the new and automated Human Resource Management Information System within Riordan Manufacturing. The best approach to take during this stage is the Phased Method of installation. Phased installation would grant all of the organization's stakeholders the time necessary to adapt to the new changes and thereby dispel the proverbial fear of abandoning status quo, which is usually prevalent among members of society. The other available alternatives to phased installation such as direct installation, or the big bang, can prove to be too much for the organization's employees who may have got used to the old system.

Phased installation simply means that the new system would be installed within the organization gradually, one part t a time (George, Valacich, & Hoffer, 2003). The single location method of installation is also akin to phased installation in that, only a specific area of the organization gets to have the system installation at any particular time. This could be a designated branch, or say, the headquarters of Riordan Manufacturing. The down side to this method is that it may prove hard to establish how the new system best integrates all the distinct organizational departments if only a few of them get to be incorporated into it. A more holistic approach to the installation would be advisable such as phased installation.

Documentation

This stage involves developing guides and manuals for end-users as well as system administrators. For the end-users, who in this case are the organization's employees and non-technical staff, it would be advisable to take a task-oriented approach to the documentation process. This would mean that the documentation would solely focus on describing individual commands as applied within the system and their implication to both end-users and system administrators (Satzinger, Jackson, & Burd, 2008). User documentation would therefore include instructions on how to get started with the system, as well as explaining the precise functionality of the new system. This would ensure that the transition from the old system to the new one would not be overly complicated for the employees. System documentation intended for the Information System personnel or system administrators would include technical details to guide them during maintenance and upgrades. This would incorporate such information as the system's design specifications as well as its overall internal structure.

Training

Training is especially dedicated to the end-users of the new system, who may not be privy to the technicalities of software engineering. On top of providing the end-users with a detailed documentation of the system's structure and functionality, it is also exigent that they are offered software use and application tutorials (Marciniak, 2002). These would go a long way in equipping them with the necessary knowledge for proper utilization of the new system as the shift is made from the old to the new. The most successful approach to training the end-users is the pragmatic instructor-led methodology whereby the end-users get to accustom themselves with the new system under the direction of a system administrator. The end-users get to actually train on the functionality of the new system while performing the individual tasks practically. An instructor should be present with the group of trainees so as to guide them through the areas of difficulty, or technical queries, regarding the usability of the system.

Support

This stage is two-fold and involves supporting the target users as well as instituting ways and means of keeping the entire system running across the organizational framework (Satzinger, Jackson, & Burd, 2008). There is therefore a need to engage the services of technical and user support teams to guarantee the smooth operation of the new system. There should be a distinguishable information center that caters to the needs of end users regarding any queries they may have about the system. This help desk should operate at par with the technical support office as they both have overlapping goals and objectives. As far as system maintenance and servicing is concerned, there should put in place measures to guarantee the security of information that is stored within the system. This translates to establishing trenchant data recovery and back up techniques. In case of any accidents or fortuities, the data kept within the system should remain safe and therefore available for retrieval whenever needed.