4 steps to gathering HRMS software requirements

Gathering HRMS software requirements should be one of the first activities you complete as you prepare to select a new system. Are you creating a solid foundation for collecting your HRMS software requirements? Here are four actions a strong selection team should take to build a robust requirements list.

1. Interview stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) to determine future system needs

An HRMS is a highly visible system. It serves the back-office needs for HR staff and can be a source of employee data in downstream systems. It also provides a user interface for employees and managers to perform self-service transactions. Your HRMS is a source of management intelligence and decision-making through data-rich reports and dashboards. All of these stakeholders and SMEs have requirements and expectations for your new HRMS, so it is best to gather their input via written surveys, interviews, and in-person or virtual workshops for complex areas.

2. Review the current system or methodology for weaknesses or gaps

A new HRMS is an opportunity to improve or fix current flaws or faults. It is relevant to interview users and receivers of your HRMS data. What activities or HR processes include workaround steps? Is any data missing from your HRMS? Does anyone keep and maintain Excel spreadsheets of HR data? Now is the time to address any perceived system weaknesses so that these requirements can be included in your future system wish list.

Use this customizable HRMS requirements template to identify and prioritize your HRMS requirements

3. Document and prioritize requirements

As requirements are being identified, it is imperative that they be documented and then reviewed and prioritized in a working session. An important requirement that is only identified verbally can often become lost in a busy project. An uncertain requirement can often be removed from your list during the prioritization stage when requirements are seen all together and the true requirements emerge at the top. Your completed requirements list should be circulated with the stakeholders and SMEs who have provided input prior to being finalized and frozen for use in your HRMS Request for Proposal (RFP).

4. Consider software requirement modeling options

Traditional methods of capturing HRMS requirements often include written lists of independent requirements. Modeling requirements via use-case diagrams or sequence charts allows you to ensure that your HRMS requirements are complete across the entire employee lifecycle from the initial requisition and hiring of an employee through to termination or retirement. Stakeholders often notice missing requirements more easily when they are presented in a pictorial format. Also, modeling enables your team to highlight conflicting requirements more easily.