The 4 Phases of Successful HR Technology Transformations: Build

HR technology transformations can be either game-changing breakthroughs or costly failures. The outcome largely depends on the effectiveness of an organization’s change management plan, which determines whether it achieves success or faces major disruption. To place themselves squarely on the side of success, organizations must adopt a comprehensive change management strategy that proactively aligns digital innovations with workforce needs. 

SHRM’s four-phase guide serves as a strategic blueprint, empowering companies to transform challenges into opportunities and drive lasting success. The Analyze phase laid the critical groundwork by outlining how to gather data, assess organizational readiness, and pinpoint areas for change. The process now shifts to the Build phase, where the implementation plan takes shape.

Some of the key tools and approaches used during this phase include:

1. Conduct an Impact Assessment to Safeguard Against Transformation Risks

Conducting an impact assessment is essential for identifying potential risks and ensuring all stakeholders are aligned during an HR technology transformation. Follow these steps to build a comprehensive framework:

Understand Impact and Secure Alignment

An impact assessment enables organizations to comprehensively understand the potential effects of proposed changes. As the assessment begins, HR shares and secures final buy-in on readiness and risk assessments to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned and informed about the transformation’s implications.

Refine Stakeholder Analysis and Deploy Change Agents

Next, finalize and validate the stakeholder analysis to clearly define roles and responsibilities, streamlining the change process. At the same time, strategically deploy change agents across three user groups to champion the transformation and facilitate its acceptance among employees.

Finalize the Impact Assessment and Guide Strategies

Then, complete a detailed change impact assessment, which provides insights into the change’s effects on processes, technologies, and people. These insights guide the development of effective change strategies, empowering organizations to navigate the transformation with precision.

2. Create Strategic Communications for Technology Rollout

Your HR team should align content and communications access with sponsors and user groups to ensure that the messaging is consistent and reaches the right audience. Once you determine your audiences, develop content and communications timelines to provide a structured plan for disseminating information and updates throughout the transformation process.

Further validate your communication strategy through collaboration with the core team, leadership team, and sponsors to ensure all stakeholders are in sync and informed about the HR transformation efforts. These steps collectively create a well-coordinated and transparent communication plan that enhances the likelihood of successful change adoption across the organization.

3. Build Training to Drive Technology Adoption

Follow these steps to build out comprehensive training programs that support the adoption of your new technology, empowering employees to embrace change confidently. 

1. Identify training and development needs by assessing skills gaps and understanding the competencies required for the new HR framework and processes.
2.  Create a comprehensive training and support plan that outlines the training objectives, methods, and timelines. 
3. Develop training materials tailored to the specific needs of the workforce, encompassing digital resources, workshops, or e-learning modules. 
4. Rigorously validate and demonstrate the training materials to ensure they align with the organization’s objectives and effectively address the identified skills gaps.

4. Finalize the Change Management Plan

At the heart of a successful change management plan are strategic communications and dynamic training programs — critical building blocks that set the stage for transformation. Beyond these essentials, the plan further incorporates:

• Key performance indicators (KPIs) to effectively track progress and gauge the success of the change efforts. 
• Strategies to anticipate and manage resistance, ensuring that potential obstacles are proactively addressed. 
• A user adoption plan detailing all activities, timelines, and responsibilities, thereby providing a clear and structured approach to implementing the HR transformation.

The Build phase transforms strategic insights from the Analyze phase into a robust, actionable change management plan. This plan accomplishes risk mitigation and successful adoption by integrating impact assessments and targeted communications. With these critical elements in place, the next step — Execute — will bring this well-crafted strategy to life, ensuring a seamless transition to your new HR framework.