HRIS test #1

three tier

'back end' servers, divided into two components- database server and application server

request for proposal

- a document that solicits proposals and bids for proposed work from potential consultants or vendors - defines the organization's goals and requirements for the new information system - provides a structured approach the minimizes the chance of omitting important criteria

analysts (power users)

- acquire as much relevant data as possible, examine, and provide reasonable alternatives with appropriate supporting information to facilitate the decision process - power user: this person accesses more areas of the HRIS than almost any other user

BI system

- allows organizations to improve business performance by leveraging information about customers, suppliers, and internal business operations from databases across functions and organizational boundaries - provide reporting tools and interfaces that distribute the information to Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, and internet based portals

opportunity domain of HR expertise

- an organization must have access to the knowledge in HR centers of excellence - expertise in HR business partners - expertise in administrative process efficiency

(second step) needs analysis observation

- analysts impartially observe the current systems and processes, forming the basis for later recommendations (important to interact with employees at all levels) - analyze current situation - define needs - identify performance gaps - classify the data - determine the priorities

level 0 diagram in DFD

- broken into greater detail - provide a clearer picture of the HR business process

(third step) needs analysis exploration

- collect additional data - interview - questionnaires - focus group

web browser (what we have today)

- created a thin client environment - comes installed on all major operating systems - very little training - works well with low bandwidth networks

(forth step) needs analysis evaluation

- data is assessed to create a clear picture of the current and desired process, data source, and issues - data should be organized - data should be reviewed by the project team

ways to view an HRIS system

- data perspective: focuses on an analysis of what data the organization captures and uses and the definition and relationship of the data - process perspective: focuses on the business processes and activities in which the organization engages and on how data flows through the HRIS

designing MS access

- determine what user wants from database - identify data fields - group related fields - create relationships - create queries - create report - create forms - enter data test and test system

steps to physical design

- determine whether or not there is value in continuing the system - determining hardware and software options - determine where to obtain the hardware and software - develop and implement schedule - work with potential vendors

improving processes

- eliminating un-necessary steps - shortening the time it takes to complete all steps - reduce the costs associated with completing the steps

limitations of traditional HR metrics

- emphasize cost - tended to aggregate data to the level of the organization - only provided data after events had occurred

data sharing between levels

- employees: focus on data processing transactions to ensure smooth operation of critical business transactions - managers: interested in summary data - executives: rely on above info to evaluate trends and develop business plans

technician (HRIS expert)

- ensure that appropriate HR staff members have all the access, information, and tools necessary for their job - understand what is needed from HR standpoint ten translating that into technical language

critical capability in HRIS

- evaluation of the project's performance by monitoring progress against the planned timetable - monitoring allows for periodic adjustments as well as ensuring that project creep is not occurring

n-tier

- expandable to multiple web servers and application servers to handle load balancing - can be geographically dispersed - file servers can be added to original ones - multiple print servers

security

- exposure to payroll - personal information - unauthorized updates - sharing data with external organizations

vendors

- first step in this process is to develop a request for proposal - focus on the business requirements - be specific - keep it simple - work closely with the HRIS and IT staff

human factor feasibility

- focuses on how the employee uses and works with the system, on the system's usability, and on the training the employee receives - usability of the system reflects the effectiveness and efficiency of the system

operational feasibility

- focuses on how well the proposed system fits in with the current and future organizational environment - assesses the extent to which the project fits within the overall strategic plan of the HR and IT departments as well as within the organization's overall strategy

predictive analysis

- goal of many metrics and analytic efforts - involves attempts to develop models of organizational systems that can be used to predict future outcomes and understand the consequences of hypothetical changes in organizations

IT factors affecting PM

- importance of solving the right problem - having people with the right knowledge to solve the right problem - have project managers who understand the dynamic nature of any HRIS project

critical points of implementing HRIS

- important to document beginning processes so that it can be considered when the system is being evaluated and maintained - evaluation must be continuous and occur not only after the system has been implemented but every stage of development

management reporting system (MRS)

- information aimed at middle managers - integration of TPS data by business functions - inquire and report summaries of key transactions

knowledge

- information that has been given meaning - more than what and why but HOW - consists of the procedures one follows to use data and information to make decisions and conduct business

cloud computing categories

- infrastructure as a service - platform as a service - software as a service

strategic realignment

- involves the set of activities most commonly known today as human resources planning - efforts focus on both long term plans to assure replacement of the labor power needed to operate as an organization as well as planning for needed strategic changes in the organization

employees

- managers - analysts - technicians - clerical - organizational

physical design choices

- organizations have option to do nothing - make changes to only the HR business processes without implementing new or upgraded technology - implement the business process changes along with new upgraded technology ( build it, buy it, outsource the development)

creating a DFD

- organized by modeling the individual processes and components - all individuals involved in the logical design of the system can view the model at their own level of understanding and complexity

project initiation phase (PMP)

- project concept: describes the key stakeholders and seeks to ensure that the right questions are asked so that the right problem is solved - project proposal (charter): contains objectives and performance targets, must be approved by top management to fulfill the requirements of this initial phase

project management process phase

- project initiation phase - work breakdown structure - project execution - project closeout

development of effective HRIS

- proposal to management - needs analysis - system specification - system design - system development - installation and conversion - evaluation

need for HRIS

- provides comprehensive information - structural connectivity across units - increase speed of information - increase competitiveness by improving HR operations - collects appropriate data and converts to information - streamlines and enhances efficiency - improve employee satisfaction

push and pull

- push: actively pushing information and analyses to the attention of managers - pull: making information available to manager so that they can access any of it at a point in time when it will be most useful for their decision making

query

- question you may ask about data stored in a database - structured way DBMS can understand - searches through CURRENT table records - only temporary, not stored in database - used as the basis for forms and reports

HR dashboard

- reflect efforts to align real time analysis of organizational and HR processes as well as an increased capacity to aggregate organizational data - contain business unit analyses to permit managers to drill down to examine metrics on several levels within the organization

process (DFD)

- represents a business activity - goal of each process is to change or transform inputted data into a useful output

steps to gain vendor

- selection - functionality - IT architecture and IT integration - price - vendor longevity and viability

database management system (DBMS)

- set of software applications combined with a database - electronically allows organizations to effectively manage data and transform it into organizational resources - identify data to create information, define characteristics, organize, restrict access to the right personnel - provide information from various parts of the organization in an 'ad-hoc' manner

logical model in SDLC

- similar to blueprints - provides organizations with an outline of the key business processes and goals for the system

(first step) needs analysis planning

- team is assembled and prepares to investigate the current and desired system applications and functions - determine management role (acts as steering committee) - define goals (define, clarify, and gain management acceptance) - determine tools and techniques to be used (observation, exploration, analysis, reporting)

data store (DFD)

- the data at rest in the system or a repository of data - contains about a person, place, or department and should be labeled with a noun

work breakdown structure (PMP)

- the time order in which activities, tasks, and jobs are to be performed is planned - specific checks or monitoring points are established

successful HRIS project

- top management support - provision of adequate and timely resources - ongoing communication - conducive organizational culture - user involvement - project champions - organizational structure - change management methodology - project control and monitoring - cross integration between business systems

decision making

- understand outcome one is trying to achieve - understand the factors that influence those outcomes and their current state - knowing available tactical options and their costs

tables

- used to store information about entities - attributes are stored as columns - any 'instance' of an entity is stored as a row

reporting metric finding

- what metrics will be reported - how these metrics will be packaged - how - when - to whom they should be reported

overall work plan

- written time schedule of tasks and responsibilities with deadlines so that the HRIS project will be done in the total time allotted - toward the management of the project itself, not the people who are responsible for the development and implementation of the HRIS

process elements

-physical flow (material movement - document flow (ad > application > offer > acceptance > contract) - data flow (data is carried on the documents)

PM team

HR professionals chosen should have significant functional knowledge of how to measure the metrics of the project, some technical proficiency, and a positive status within their department and the organization

implementation (SDLC)

HRIS is built, tested, and readied for actual rollout or the "go live" stage- the point where the old system is turned off and new system is implemented

software as a service

a complete application is delivered over the internet

gantt chart (PM approach)

a graphical representation of the duration of tasks against the progression of time in a project

business process

a sequence of steps or activities that converts a set of inputs into desired outputs

transformational HR activities

actions an organization takes that add value - increase the strategic importance and visibility of the HR function of a firm

select query

allows you to ask a question based on one or more tables in a database

best of breed (BOB)

an architecture that combines products from multiple vendors - there should be a perceived need for a specialized solution - universally agreed-on set of guidelines for interoperability must exist between applications - applications need to "speak the same language"

forms

an object in a database that you can use to maintain, view, and print records in a database in a more structured manner

performance evaluation and review technique (PM approach)

analyzing the tasks involved in completing a given project, the time needed to complete each task, and the minimum time needed to complete the total project

decision support system

assist senior managers in making business decisions (data warehouse) - data mining - data analytics - business intelligence

workforce modeling

attempts to understand how an organization's human capital needs would change as a function of some expected change in the organization's environment

info-graphs

combine a number of data elements often incorporating pictures, figures, tables, and text to help tell a story more effectively than can be done by any of these elements

report wizards

computer program or tool that guides you through the creation of a form by asking you a series of questions

why test

considers a potential outcome variable, it is useful to ask why the organization is interested in that particular outcome

HRIS

consists of inter-related components working together to collect process, store, and disseminate information to support decision-making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization of an organization's human resource management activities

relationships (in a table)

created by having the same attributes in each table with the value of the attribute being the same in each table

relational database

data be stored in tables where each table represents one entity in the real world and the information associated with that entity be stored only in that table

HR metrics

data the reflect some descriptive detail about given processes or outcomes

self descriptive

database knows about the characteristics of the data

cloud computing

defined as a computing architecture that uses the internet and central remote servers to maintain data and applications - allows businesses to use applications without having to go through the complex installation process

strategic HRM

derives its theoretical significance from the resource based view of the firm that treats human capital as a strategic asset and a competitive advantage in improving organizational performance

process model in SDLC

describes and represents the key business processes or activities conducted by the organization

economic feasibility

determine whether the costs of developing, implementing, and running the system are worth the benefits derived from its use

physical design in SDLC

determining the most effective means of translating these business processes into a physical system that includes hardware and software - translates the logical model and requirements into a physical system, including all hardware, software, and networking

requirement definition

document that lists each of the prioritized requirements for the new system

planning (SDLC)

during this phase HR will determine the existing technological and system capabilities and develop a general plan for adapting, upgrading, or changing these plans

data mining

efforts to identify patterns that exist within data and that may identify unrecognized causal mechanisms that can be used to enhance decision making

project creep

enlargement of the original boundaries of the project as defined in the project charter

organizational

essentially all the other employees throughout the organization

transactional processing system (TPS)

fist applied at lower operational levels to automate manual processes - focus on data storage, processing, flows, daily operational levels - efficient transactional processes - summary reports for managers

information system

focus is to optimally align an organization's information technology, people (users), and business processes

technical feasibility

focuses on the current technological capabilities of the organization and the technological capabilities required for the implementation of the proposed system

legal and political feasibility

focuses on the political environment of the organization in which the HRIS is being implemented

logical design in SDLC

focuses on the translation of business requirements into improved business processes, irrespective of any technological implementation - focuses on how the system will actually operate

human resource planning (HRP)

forecasting the need for additional employees in the future and the availability of those employees either inside or external to the company

system development life cycle (SDLC)

formal design of a multistage process through which information systems are implemented - planning, analysis, design, implementation, maintenance - allows the organization to focus on a limited set of issues - contains many activities within one phase and allows organizations to make "go, no go" decisions at the end of each phase

reports

formatted presentation of data from a table that is created as a printout or to be viewed on a screen - dynamic, reflecting the latest data which the report is based on - you CANNOT change data on reports only view

enterprise information system

generally any kind of computing system that is of "enterprise class". offers high quality of service, dealing with large volumes of data and capable of supporting some large organization (an enterprise)

data flow diagram

graphical representation of the key business activities and processes in the HR system, the boundaries of this system, the data that flows through the system, and any external individuals or departments that interact with the system. tool used for analyzing the current system vs. desired system - entity - data flow - process - data store

management level HR system

help HR managers monitor and analyze the recruitment, allocation, and compensation of employees

context level diagram

highest level of DFD - describes the full system, its boundaries, the external entities that interact with the system, and the primary data flows between the entities outside the system and the system itself

evolution of HRM

historically focused primarily on being concerned with routine transactional and traditional HR activities to dealing with complex transformational aspects

system conversion (software implementation)

how the new or upgraded HRIS will be introduced into the organization and how it will be implemented

strategic level HR system

identify manpower requirements (skills, education level, types of positions, number of positions, cost) for meeting the firm's long term business plan

HRM was born

increased need to be compliant with numerous employee protection laws implemented after the war or suffer monetary penalties made managers aware of the importance of HRM as a bottom line necessity for an effective and efficient business - focus shifted from employee administration to employee development and involvement

traditional HR activities

involve HR programs such as planning, recruiting, selection, training, compensation, performance management

transactional HR activities

involve day to day transactions that have to deal mostly with record keeping

data migration (software implementation)

involves identifying which data should be migrated and how much historical data should be included and the actual process of moving the data

(fifth step) reporting

involves preparing a report that summarizes the findings and presents recommendations for the design phase - should include overview of the current system along with a description of how a new system could address the present issues - should include requirement definition

project closeout (PMP)

involves the implementation, evaluation, documentation, and maintenance of the HRIS

job description

list the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of any individual who held the job in question

MS access

makes it easy to create forms and reports through the use of forms or report wizards - designed for relatively small databases and assumes limited knowledge of database programming

metrics

measures of organizational performance outcomes that are derived from measures of important individual and organizational outcomes

relational model

model standardized how data is physically stored on the computer and provides standard data access via the Structured Query Language

return on workforce

monitors and best reflects the value that the total talent returns to the organization

clerical

must understand the process required to enter information into the HRIS and may also need to start the process or generate periodic reports

platform as a service

next level of services include application and web servers technology prebuilt into the leased computer. enterprises still build our custom applications on top of these servers

analysis (SDLC)

organizations current capabilities are documented, needs are identified, and the scope of an HRIS is determined - most tie consuming and important

steering committee

oversight of the project in terms of progress toward meeting strategic goals and staying within the project budget

action query

performs an action on the table on which it is based - updating data in the table - deleting records - inserting records (associated with TPS- improving operational efficiency of managing and maintaining a database)

cross tab query

performs calculations on the values in a field and displays the results in a data sheet - tabulates data for a set of descriptor attributes, contrasting them or crossing them in a table format (used by managers and executive- foundation for MRS and DSS)

maintenance (SDLC)

phase where the primary objective is to prolong the useful life of the HRIS - corrective: system must be fixed - adaptive: when HR environment changes or evolves - perfective: tweak or improve system - preventative: maintaining hardware requirements

non-employees

potential employees, suppliers and partners

caretaker function

primarily involved in clerical record keeping of employee information - under scientific management (maximize employee productivity) imposed pre-WWII

managers

primary HRIS need is to have real time access to accurate data that facilitate decision making with regards to their people

needs analysis

process of thoroughly gathering, prioritizing, and documenting an organization's HR information requirements - current system performance issues - introduction of new systems - any opportunities that benefit organization

n-tier goal

provide a single truth so that all enterprise data can be accessed by users wherever and whenever needed

primary purpose of HRIS

provide service, in the form of accurate and timely information to the "clients" of the system

infrastructure as a service

provides access to an operating system or cluster of connected systems

client server (two tier)

purpose was to spread out powered processing capability to the dozens of PCs being used across the enterprise

balanced scorecard

recognizes the limitations of organization's heavy reliance on financial indicators of performance - focus on developing leading indicators of performance from several important perspectives, including customer satisfaction, process effectiveness, employee development, and financial performance

information system technology

reduce costs and cycle times as well as improve quality - further help decision makers make and implement strategic decisions

workforce analytics

refer to strategies for combining data elements into metrics and for examining relationships or changes in metrics - inform managers about the current or changing state of human capital

six sigma

refers to the streamlining operations through business process reengineering - uses an assortment of tools to reengineer business processes, improve decision making, and improve customer service - define, measure, analyze, improve, control

e-HRM

reflects a philosophy for the delivery of HR, it uses information technology, particularly the web, as the central component of delivering efficient and effective HR services - sees technology as enabling the HR function to be done differently by modifying information flows, social interaction patterns, and communication processes - tends to be more focused on how HR functionality is delivered

attributes

represent a single data element or characteristic of the data table

entity (DFD)

represents any external agent that either receives or supplies data to the HR system

data

represents the 'facts' of transactions that occur on a daily basis

data flow (DFD)

represents the movement of a single piece of data from point to point through the system

legislative compliance

required collection, analysis, and reporting of voluminous data to statutory authorities - lead to HR management we have today

relational database system

retrieval of data from different tables was based on logical relationships built into tables, make it feasible to create queries that are much more accessible

HR balanced scorecard

seeks to achieve the key HR deliverables (workforce mindset, technical knowledge, and workforce behavior) by aligning, integrating, and differentiating the HR system

ERP software

set of integrated database applications or modules that carry out the most common business functions

database

set of organized data - a permanent, self descriptive store of interrelated data items that can be processed by one or more business applications

data sharing

sharing of power - between functional units - between management levels - between geographically dispersed locations

data warehouse

special type of database that is optimized for reporting and analysis and is the raw material for management's decision support system - represent aggregated data collected from various databases available to a business

HRIS data importance

split into two groups - nonemployees and employees

change management

structured approach to changing individuals, groups, and organizations to accept new ideas and processes - unfreezing current attitudes and behaviors - changing the new attitudes and behaviors - refreezing these new attitudes and behaviors

questionnaires

structured data collection tools that must be designed and implemented carefully in order to obtain usable results

HRIS

system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute information regarding an organization's human resources to support HRM and managerial decisions - focused on the system and technology underlying the design

HR system and structure

systems, practices, competencies, and employee performance behaviors that reflect the development and management of the firm's strategic human capital

design (SDLC)

the "blueprint" for the system is finalized - detailed specifications for the final system are laid out

project execution (PMP)

the HRIS project is tracked, and periodic progress reports are prepared for management and the project team - schedule - budget - open issues - risks - communication

information

the interpretation of data - always has some goal and context

parallel conversion (software implementation)

the new software is on for a period of time before the old software is turned off

pilot conversion (software implementation)

the new system is implemented in a single, pilot location

interrelated

there are links between different sets of data in the database

entities

things such as employees, jobs, promotion transactions, positions - both physical and conceptual things

HRIS dinosaur

this architecture is commonly called a single-tier computing system - everything resides on the mainframe and had to accessed by the client company locally

transformational HR activities

those activities that add value to the organization

transactions

thought of as an event of consequence

HR operational system

track recruitment processes and day to day HR processes that touch current employees

business process re-engineering (BPR)

used to improve business processes in order to achieve organizational excellence (cut cost, increase service speed, productivity, efficiency)

ad-hoc (DBMS information)

user can ask a question of the data that no one has thought of yet

critical path method (PM approach)

uses a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities - sequence or project network that determines the shortest time possible to complete the project

DMAIC approach

uses an assortment of statistical tools to reengineer business processes, and HRM processes such as recruiting, training, and compensating employees, can be examined using this approach - define - measure - analyze - improve - control

software testing (software implementation)

verify that the new or upgraded HRIS meets the requirements outlined during analysis and design