Human Resources Analysis 1
System Analysis for Riordan Manufacturing’s Human Resources Department
Kelly Beckwith
University of Phoenix, Online
Human Resources Analysis 2
Table of Contents
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Scope and Goals………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Supporting Measures …………………………………………………………………………. 5
System Requirements …………………………………………………………………………. 7
Application Architecture and Process Design …………………………………………………. 9
Data Flow and Protection………………………………………………………………………. 10
Data Flow Chart ………………………………………………………………………………. 10
Flow of Data Chart ………………………………………………………………………….…. 11
Implementation Process………………………………………………………………………… 12
Human Resource Organizational Chart………………………………………………………… 12
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 14
Resources ………………………………………………………………………………………. 16
Human Resources Analysis 3
Abstract
Designing a new system for Riordan Manufacturing’s Human Resources Department is a crucial
and important part of Riordan efforts to evolve with new technology. The company has asked
that installation of their new system occur within six months. The current Human Resources
Information Systems (HRIS) is outdated by over 10 years. Allowing an outside company to
implement a new system will save Riordan Manufacturing time and money, and allowing
completion of the project in the time allowed. Combining all of the systems used by Riordan’s
human resources staff will allow easier access for all.
Human Resources Analysis 4
System Analysis for Riordan Manufacturing’s Human Resources Department
As computer technology evolves, companies find themselves analyzing and improving
their systems on a regular basis. However, some companies have such a vast amount of
departments, employees, and locations that they find it can take years to update and improve all
of their departments and locations. Riordan Manufacturing has been in need of updating their
human resources department for sometime. With a well-devised systems development life cycle
Riordan Manufacturing should be able to update and improve their human resources systems
quickly and effectively.
The human resources department currently has a system that they received in 1992 that
came incorporated into the financial systems package. In order to determine the type of system
that will best suit Riordan Manufacturing the IT department needs to gather data regarding the
information that human resource personal uses. Ultimately, the company’s central human
resources department uses this data the most. However, each location also needs this data as well
as managers.
Scope and Goals
Riordan Manufacturing would like a new Human Resources System. This system needs
to include all the information that the Human Resources Department uses on a daily basis. The
system also needs to allow limited access to employees that are outside Human Resources, such
as managers who input employee information. Recruiters also need to have access to the Human
Resources system; however, their access should be limited to resumes and new employee
information.
The department definitely needs to combine all the programs and personal files into one
system. The current system only tracks personal information, pay rate, personal exemptions for
Human Resources Analysis 5
taxes, hire date and seniority date, organizational information and vacation. The company needs
to track this information plus other key information that is currently being complied in several of
different locations. The other information Riordan needs to track with there new system is
training and development, resumes and applicant information, FMLA and ADA, job analysis,
salary surveys, individual compensation decisions, and complaints and grievances.
With this in mind, Riordan Manufacturing is asking for a complete overhaul of their
current system. Before installing the new systems, the overhaul will require a great amount of
employee training as well as cooperation from many managers and departments across Riordan’s
four locations. Even though the scope of this project seems very small, it actually will involve
many departments throughout the locations to cooperate and agree on many things.
Supporting Measures
Along with the cooperation of many departments, there will have to be a lot of updating
and files to go though. Riordan will have to assign employees to concentrate their hours to
getting the data entered into the new system. Since so many of the human resources files and
data are stored in different areas and different ways their will be a lot of transfer and data moving
around. The company needs to be careful not to lose this data during the transfers.
Riordan Manufacturing has asked for a six-month period roll out the new system. If
employees are trained as the systems are installed they should not have a problem getting the
system updated in the period allowed. However, training is crucial and finishing in a timely
matter is important or it could slow the rollout down and potentially harm the timeframe of the
rollout. Riordan Manufacturing should use a program like Microsoft Project to ensure that
everything rolls out on time.
Human Resources Analysis 6
Microsoft Project can control all kinds of things that the rollout will need. “Stay informed
by controlling your project work, schedule, and finances, and effectively communicate project
data. Get started with the new Project,” (Microsoft, 2007, para. 1). Using this type of
organization will allow Riordan Manufacturing to rollout their new system with the six-month
timeframe, effectively.
There is several ways that the IT manager can gather the data that will determine what
type of system they will use. First, the IT manager needs to send out a company wide memo to
human resources personal and managers that ask their opinion on the upgrades. The best source
for information is the people who use it every day. Joint application development (JAD) is the
terminology used when collecting this data. JAD allows the managers, IT department, and a
group of users (the human resources department) to work on the development together (Shelly,
Cashman, & Rosenblatt, 2003).
To allow JAD to work correctly the managers need to implement SWOT (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). This will gather the information that users think are
strengths in the system as well as the weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. SWOT can show
many things the will help evaluate and improve the current system. Using SWOT helps analyze
the systems already in place so that new and improved systems can be determined. In using
SWOT it was determined that Riordan Manufacturing currently uses several processes for human
resource data and collection.
Using these two techniques will also increase a wide spread company awareness of the
new system. With this wide spread knowledge the managers are worried that employees might
fear for their job. To eliminate this threat of possible employee rebellion the company should
send out a company wide memo that ensures employees that while the new system will make
Human Resources Analysis 7
their job and position easier, they will still have plenty of work to do. Sending this memo will
allow the company to advise the employees of the new system as well as ensure job security.
System Requirements
The company’s current human resources system stores limited data. This data includes
employee information. However, that information is very limited at a central level and the
employee’s manager keeps most data at the local office. This organization effects more than just
the human resources department. With the current system, there are files everywhere and the
company’s filing system is very disorganized. Riordan Manufacturing has probably lost much of
the information that they track over the years by.
According to About.com, the human resource information system commonly includes
many features that Riordan Manufacturing system does not. These items include:
Typically, the better The Human Resource Information Systems
(HRIS) provide overall:
o Management of all employee information.
o Reporting and analysis of employee information.
o Company-related documents such as employee handbooks, emergency
evacuation procedures, and safety guidelines.
o Benefits administration including enrollment, status changes, and personal
information updating.
o Complete integration with payroll and other company financial software
and accounting systems.
o Applicant and resume management.
The HRIS that most effectively serves companies tracks:
Human Resources Analysis 8
o attendance and PTO use,
o pay raises and history,
o pay grades and positions held,
o performance development plans,
o training received,
o disciplinary action received,
o personal employee information, and occasionally,
o management and key employee succession plans,
o high potential employee identification, and
o applicant tracking, interviewing, and selection (Heathfield, 2007, para. 2-
3).
Riordan Manufacturing’s current human resources system does not implement all of these in a
single integrated application. Riordan’s system uses a very basic system connected to the
financial systems package as well as many other simple programs that require a lot of tracking
and cross-referencing.
To upgrade to a new system Riordan will also have to upgrade all of their current
computer systems. Since each location is using different types of computers that are different
ages, Riordan will have to implement a company wide mandatory system upgrade. With today’s
programs and systems it is recommended that Riordan enforces a strict Windows or MAC only
workstation for each employee that needs it based on the department that he or she is in. Many
programs will work across platforms. These programs, known as Cross-Platform programs and
usually will work with Windows and MACs.
Human Resources Analysis 9
Application Architecture and Process Design
When looking for the right software for Riordan Manufacturing several options presented
themselves. There were two programs that stood out above the rest, !Trak-It HR and Perfect HR.
These programs have all the necessary functions that Riordan needs for their Human Resources
Department plus some. However, there are some differences between the programs and Perfect
HR has a payroll management system (Aspetuck Systems Inc., 2007). Since Riordan does not
need a payroll management system because they have their own financial software, !Trak-It HR
will be used.
There are many reasons choosing !Trak-it HR, one being the fact that it is easy to use.
There is three ways to navigate through the system making it easy for anyone to use. The system
uses “a graphic toolbar, pull-down menus, or shortcut keys” (!Trak-It Solutions, para. 2) that will
allow any user to navigate with ease. It always has very easy to follow buttons and icons and a
main navigation screen for quick access to the most commonly used applications (!Trak-It
Solutions, 2007).
The new program also has all the employee information stored in one location, “Screens
for employee data collection: Personal, Job Screen, Secondary Job, Benefits, Dependents,
Education, Emergency Contacts, Events, Former Employers, Injuries, Photo, Skills, Wellness,
Grievance, Follow-Up Notes, Termination, Assets, Training, Medical History, Contacts” (!Trak-
It Solutions, 2007, para. 3) as well as attendance records. !Trak-It HR also offers standard along
with custom reporting features.
Riordan will benefit from this system because of its payroll import features that will
allow the Human Resources Department to import important payroll data. Other benefits include
grievance tracking, security and limited access to features, and centralized server connection that
Human Resources Analysis 10
works with most servers. Cross-Platform access is also available so if some department managers
such as the IT manager use a MAC instead of Windows, he or she can still access the data.
Finally, Riordan’s Human Resources employees will be able to access anyone’s data, at any time
and at any of their four locations.
Implementing this system will require updating all employees that use Human Resource
information. This includes any manager, recruiter, employee relation specialist, human resources
personal, payroll personal, and so forth. Upgrades should rollout based on the user’s position and
how often they use the information included in the new system. Anyone in the Human Resource
Department should receive the first rounds of upgrades, followed by recruiters then managers
and then anyone else.
Data Flow and Protection
With all the new access to the human resource system, there needs to be structure
regarding the user access. This is an idea of who will be accessing the HRIS and why:
Human Resources Analysis 11
With this in mind there needs to be a serious amount of security to the human resources system.
“Because security is a process and not a state, ongoing refinement and assessment is needed for
prolonged success” (Security Innovation Inc., 2007, para. 1). Using an outside security company
like security innovation would be a smart move on Riordan Manufacturing’s part. If they decide
to use an outside company rather then an in house company they will reduce the amount of extra
technical help that they might need. Reducing in house support will also reduce the workload on
the current employees.
By improving the security and HRIS system Riordan will also improve the way
workflows throughout the company. Now, files have to be transported back and forth between
managers, recruiters, and specialist. Files also are broken up and disorganized, different
departments have different pieces of an employees file. Here is what the flow of data could look
like with the new system:
Using this Diagram as a reference all managers and or other important personal will be able to
access all the files on a particular employee and not just some of the information. For the
Human Resources Analysis 12
moment, managers do not have access to potential employees. The data will be restricted to some
individuals based on their security clearance.
Implementation Process
Implementing !Trak-it HR into Riordan Manufacturing’s everyday process will be harder
then just designing it. Bellow is a copy of the current structure of the human resources
department.
To best implement, the new system the actual human resources department will get the first
rollout. The employees who actually use the current system are Yvonne McMillian, Silvija
Peterson, and Ana Richlich; therefore, they will receive the first rollout. Then recruiting,
training, and development will receive the next rollout because they will benefit the most from
the new system. The rollouts will continue to prioritize based on the employees’ use of the new
system.
Riordan Manufacturing needs to make sure to complete all six of the major
implementation stages by the time the installation of the new program is complete. According to
Human Resources Analysis 13
Shelly, Cashman, and Rosenblatt “coding is the process of turning program logic into specific
instructions that the computer system can execute” (2003, p. 422) when commanded, this will
allow users to see what the programmer want them to see. It will take time to convert Riordan’s
current system into the new system; this will require a lot of coding. This stage will start the
implementation process to ensure that the old system will convert smoothly to the new system.
Testing the coding is the next stage of the project that Riordan needs to do.
Before installing !Trak-it HR Riordan will have to ensure that everything will work
smoothly with the older systems already in place. The best way to do this is by testing the coding
and the rest of the system before installation. There are many different types of tests that Riordan
can perform there are system tests, build and smoke tests, performance tests, and acceptance tests
(Stazinger, Jackson, and Burd, 2004). During this stage of the installation, Riordan will use
systems tests. “System testing is normally first performed by developers or test personnel to
ensure that the system does not malfunction in obvious ways and that the system fulfills the
developers’ understanding of user requirements” (Stazinger, Jackson, & Burd, 2004, p. 645).
After the coding and testing is, finished Riordan can finally start to install the new
system. To install the new system they should do a phased rollout. There are several options for
rolling out a new system but to minimize the down time for Riordan a phased rollout is the best,
because the users for the HRIS system is so widely spread. The three major types of rollouts are
phased, parallel, and direct installations (Stazinger, Jackson, & Burd, 2004). Parallel would run
both systems at the same time and direct would replace everything at once with no backup
system. Because Riordan needs to have backup and parallel systems would be too complicated
for the system update, phased rollouts are the only logical explanation.
Human Resources Analysis 14
During the phased rollouts, Riordan will provide documentation and training.
“Comprehensive description and schedule of all activities related to the installation and
activation of the information system, including end user training and data conversion” (Van
Vliet, & Pietron, 2006). Training and documentation go hand-in-hand to finish the rollouts and
have a success crossover. Without training and documentation for the users Riordan’s efforts
would be wasted. Along with training Riordan also needs to build a successful support team for
the users.
Support teams are crucial to the success of the new HRIS system. Training the current
systems technical support team is an essential part of the implementation process. Riordan will
start training their technical support team now while other implementation processes are taking
place. “This is a misconception. We do not read from any script. Yes, we do use a few suggested
verbiages occasionally. We are given extensive hands-on training on Dell systems before we
start taking calls” (Rhey, 2007). Every support person should know the new system inside and
out before taking calls and giving advice on the new system.
After training, the support staff and rolling out the installation Riordan will start on a
maintenance system that will allow continued support to everyone. The maintenance system will
require Riordan to keep in constant contact with the makers of !Trak-it HR so that they can
receive all updates for the system. This will required Riordan to form a Wide Area Network
(WAN) with !Trak-it solutions. The WAN will allow users and technical support to update their
systems on a daily or weekly basis. Doing weekly updates automatically will also decease the
amount of problems that may occur with the system.
In conclusion, planning, developing, designing, and implementing Riordan
Manufacturing’s new Human Resources information system will take much effort from many
Human Resources Analysis 15
parties involved in the company. Since Riordan’s systems are outdated by more than 10 years
they really need to consider upgrading to a new system design like !Trak-it HR. The developers
of !Trak-it HR will allow Riordan to focus on other company issue besides programming a new
HRIS. Using this outside company will better allow for the time restraints that Riordan has put
upon this project. Along with development, the outside system will allow ease in the design stage
of the project as well as implementation. Because the outside company will be doing the training
for the support staff, Riordan does not have to worry about hiring any extra staff during the
transition process. Overall !Trak-it HR is the way for Riordan Manufacturing to go with their
new HRIS system.
Human Resources Analysis 16
Resources
Aspetuck Systems Inc. (2007). Human resources software and payroll software solutions.
Retrieved August 12, 2007 from http://www.perfectsoftware.com/
Heathfield, Susan. (2007). Human resources information system (HRIS). Retrieved August, 2
2007 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/a/hris.htm
Microsoft (2007). Project home page. Retrieved August 2, 2007 from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/FX100487771033.aspx
Rhey, Eric. (2007). Secrets of the call center guy. Retrieved August 24, 2007 from EBSCOhost
database. (Document ID: 25641223).
Satzinger, J.W., Jackson, R.J., Burd, S.D. (2004). System analysis and design in a changing
world. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology.
Security Innovation Inc. (2007). Solutions for sustainable security. Retrieved August 13, 2007
from http://www.securityinnovation.com/company/index.shtml
Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J., & Rosenblatt, H.J. (2003). Systems analysis and design. Boston,
MA: Thomson Course Technology.
!Trak-It Solutions. (2007). !Trak-It HR. Retrieved August 12, 2007 from http://www.hris-
software.net/index.html
Van Vliet, P.A., & Pietron, L.R. (2006). Information Systems Development Education in the
Real World - A Project Methodology and Assessment. Journal of Information Systems
Education, 17(3), 285-293. Retrieved August 24, 2007, from ABI/INFORM
Global database. (Document ID: 1164952421).