Data Exploration - HRIS Discovery and Design Guidebook

This article explains the best practices and processes implemented during a Data Exploration Phase.

OVERVIEW

The Namely Team meets with clients to learn more about their organization and introduces them to our Learning Management System and Help Community during the Data Exploration Phase of implementation.

  • HRIS Discovery Call - This call is coordinated by the assigned HRIS Implementation Consultant (IC). We seek to better understand how the clients wants to onboard new employees, track time off, request or track changes to employee information, confirm who should have access to our systems, and how they evaluate their employee's performance during this call. 

  • Benefit Discovery Call - This call is coordinated by the assigned Benefits Administration Consultant (BAC). Our goal for this call is to ensure we're on the same page with the client regarding their Benefit plan setup, employee eligibility and requirements for ACA reporting.

  • Payroll Discovery Call - This call is coordinated by the assigned Payroll Consultant (PC). The purpose of this call is to better understand how the client's payroll site needs to be configured, including how their company taxes are set up, what payroll deductions they use and the recurring earnings their employees have. 

  • Time Discovery Call - This call is coordinated by the assigned Time Consultant (TC) after the questionnaire is completed. Our goal for this call is to understand how the client calculates overtime (including any rounding rules), how they track time off, and who should have access to what in the system.


BEST PRACTICES  

Implementation Consultant (IC):

  • Review the client’s Employee Handbook for information regarding new hire documents that need to be signed, time off accrual policies, company holidays, and performance processes prior to the meeting with the client project team. 

  • Pre-fill the HRIS Design Guidebook with information from the Implementation Questionnaire notes, Sales to Implementation Sync notes, Kick Off Deck and Employee Handbook to develop proper talk tracks and to identify any red flags that need to be discussed with the Namely or Client project teams.

  • Lead the call with the Client project team. It should be made clear that the intent of the call is to learn more about the client's business so that you can properly guide them through any customization that will need to be set up in their HRIS site. Notes are being taken, which will be used to create an initial project plan. The client should also be made aware of required trainings they will need to take so they can follow along with the team throughout their implementation. 

  • Advise the client that they'll be asked to sign off on the HRIS Design Guidebook after it's reviewed, and that all future meetings scheduled will be to action the features agreed upon within.

  • Facilitate conversations with the Client project team for each potential HRIS milestone meeting. This includes providing a brief description of the feature, and what the milestone meeting will entail from a training and standpoint. The HRIS Design Guidebook tab associated with each milestone should be used to ask questions and to document answers and key notes for customizations or takeaways that involve other Namely platforms. 

  • After reviewing the HRIS Design Guidebook in full, confirm and schedule future HRIS milestone meetings based on the proper meeting agenda notes.

  • Send a copy of the HRIS Design Guidebook for the Client project team to review and sign off on after the call. 

 

Project Manager (PM):

  • Support the IC and the client as needed on the call. 

  • Answer and ask any outstanding questions that either the client or consultant may have.

 

Data Services Consultant (DSC):

  • Collaborate with the Project Lead to identify if there are any things that need to be collected from a data standpoint from the client’s existing system, including custom data, org units, time off balances or requests, that were not discussed or documented in the initial Data Migration call. 

 

Executive Sponsor (ES) & Namely Consultants (IC, BAC, PC)

  • Collaborate with the Project Lead and discuss findings from discovery calls. Identify if there are any project intersections with items, including time off, salary and benefit data, or any nuances that need to be addressed. In some instances, invite the Consultants to each other's meetings with the Client project team.

 

PROCESS STEPS

Project Lead (PM or IC):

  • Project Lead coordinates, places calendar holds, and schedules the client call as soon as possible. The call is generally scheduled for an hour.

  • Project Lead sets up the HRIS Design Guidebook.

  1. Go to the PS Google Drive Folder > HRIS Design Guidebook.

  2. Click File > Make a Copy > Save to My Drive.

  3. Name of Google Doc: HRIS Design Guidebook_CLIENT

  4. Edit the HRIS Design Guidebook > update the HRIS Configuration Plan + Sign Off tab of the workbook with the client name, IC name, discovery meeting date, client permalink, contract type, go live date, tentative employee launch week. 

    • If the Launch Packet has not already been loaded into the client’s support files, make sure to download the Launch Packet from PS Google Drive Folder > Namely Launch Kit and upload the zipped file into the Client’s Support Files system, then document the date the file was uploaded. 

  5. Pre-fill the data within the workbook based on existing notes and the Client Employee Handbook. 

  6. Save the document into the Client's Google Drive folder as HR & Kick Off.

  • IC hosts the call, facilitates the communication and conversation with the Client project team to understand each of the HRIS milestones and completes the HRIS Design Guidebook with appropriate setup notes and takeaways.

  • IC confirms the schedule of future HRIS milestone calls with the Client team.

  • IC sends the recap email once the Discovery Call is wrapped up and the client is clear on the next steps,

    • At the end of the call, the IC will download the HRIS Design Guidebook via File > Download > Microsoft Excel and include this in their email recap.

    • The HRIS Design Guidebook, client action items, and the meeting schedule should be included in the recap email sent to the client. 

  • IC sets up calendar invitations for HRIS milestone meetings including Client project team.

    • Calendar invites should include the agendas for meetings. 

 

Namely Consultants (IC, BAC, PC, TC)

  • Upon completion of the HRIS Discovery Call, the Namely Project Team will meet with the client for their product-specific Discovery Calls. 

  • Namely Consultants will debrief with internal syncs after having respective Discovery Calls to identify any challenges, intersections between modules, and overall temperature of client project.