‘Prepare, prepare, prepare’, will be the message from Peter Reeve, Head of HR at the Motor Neurone Disease Association, when he takes to the stage at the 2015 CIPD HR Software Show (HRSS).
With a prime seminar slot on the first day of the event, Peter will share the technology journey that he and his team embarked upon, from initial competitive tender through to the successful roll out of their chosen HR and payroll system from Cascade.
This advice-led session at Olympia London will very much focus on the need to identify the current drivers for a HR software investment, whilst also thinking about the future objectives the solution will need to deliver. And, because HRSS coincides with Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Month, a special £5 donation will be made to the charity for every delegate that attends this case study seminar.
The hard work of the MND Association was catapulted into the spotlight in summer 2014, when the social media phenomenon of the Ice Bucket Challenge raised £7m for the charity. This awareness has helped the charity continue its focus on MND care, research and campaigning.
In order to run the 160-strong business as efficiently as possible – to make the best use of every penny whilst progressively working to the future and ultimately finding a cure for MND – Peter knew a new HR system was required. The charity’s previous solution was not proactive and its reporting capabilities were virtually non-existent. Worse still the technology’s code was not even written in English, which meant the team’s engagement with the software was extremely limited.
MND Association therefore set out on a new technology journey, in search of HR, payroll, self-service, workflow, auto-enrolment and training functionality. Having spearheaded six HR software implementations in the past – plus working for a system vendor earlier in his career – Peter empowered HR Business Partner Eve Adu-Bofour, to lead this assignment. Eve will therefore also be on hand at HRSS to share her insight, experience and personal development.
The seminar will detail the key phases the team went through from June 2013 to the present day, not least the preparation of a rigorous tender document.
Peter explains: “In truth we probably did too much ground work – we laid out 20 pages of essential and desirable software functionality, so that our expectations were clearly laid out. Some vendors even turned down the opportunity to pitch for the work because of this. But it was crucial that our expectations were well documented – we knew this would help us get the investment right, for the benefit of staff engagement and wider business success. That’s why we weren’t willing to leave any stone unturned.
Eve adds: “If you don’t know what you want, you can’t be surprised if you don’t get it. This is the advice I would give to any not-for-profit or private sector organisation embarking on a new technology project or change management programme.”
‘The HR Software Journey of Ice-Bucket Challenge Charity MND Association’ case study will take place on at the HR Software Show, Olympia, London, on Wednesday 17th June at 10:30am. Delegates will be provided with step-by-step guidance and case study notes to take away with them, to further their own research and development.
A 20-strong team from Cascade – MND Association’s software supplier – will also be exhibiting at HRSS on stand H150. Delegates are welcome to visit the stand to learn more about Cascade’s fully-integrated HR and payroll software; ongoing module development including the latest auto-enrolment functionality; traditional installation or cloud deployment methods; and the company’s award-winning approach to customer service.
Commenting on his delight at the MND Association presenting at the show, Cascade’s Head of Marketing Andy Court said: “Satisfied clients are our best marketers. They provide an unparalleled insight into the real usability of our software and the things to consider to ensure a seamless and successful project. Peter and Eve’s advice-led plans for the seminar are sure to prove very useful indeed for delegates embarking on a HR technology journey of their own.
And all of this whilst raising more money for this incredibly worthwhile cause!”
