I loosely borrow Ray Bradbury´s famous science fiction novel title, Fahrenheit 451, the degree at which paper burns, to make a point: technology can eliminate the use of paper in hiring practices - if you are not working toward a paperless process, you should be.

When we focus on how technology has influenced human resources functions, it is hard to find a better example than the transformation of the hiring processes in best-of-breed organizations. Technology has impacted or influenced every aspect of this function, from electronic resumes to electronic offers; the process can be executed entirely without paper.

The foundation for paperless hiring operations is database management software. This ´newer´ breed of software application is currently referred to as an applicant tracking system (ATS). However, I would argue that not every person in an ATS database is an applicant; candidate yes, but applicant no. Candidate Management System (CMS) is a more accurate term. I digress.

When looking to automate hiring practices this technology becomes the driver of automation. It enables most tasks to be administered, documented and communicated electronically in a searchable centralized database. And it goes far beyond just capturing resumes. From return-on-investment (ROI) to affirmative action plan (AAP) compliance, essentially all critical data can be captured, tracked and reported. But it must start with a plan.

Technology implementation has four distinct phases. Each should be defined for your organization before contacting the first technology vendor. The four phases are: Planning, Selection, Implementation and Maintenance. You will soon realize that technology integration is only part of the big picture when reviewing process automation. And there has been much written about technology vendor selection and the necessary precautions to take with this fledgling group of companies. However, what is more critical than vendor selection is the planning phase of a technology implementation project.

The planning phase is essentially the blueprint for your new hiring infrastructure, which will outline technology´s involvement. If it is not detailed and defined, the project and program will get lost and drift aimlessly. So it is important to adhere to the fundamentals of developing a project plan. It consists of 4 disciplines: Audit, Draft, Vision, and Requirements.

When preparing to review and enhance existing programs, do not move forward lightly. To borrow a statement from fellow consultant and friend Jeremy Eskenazi, "Be prepared to blow up your existing processes." You will take the roles of demolition artist, architect and builder. This is also a very good time to reacquaint yourself with the business...if you do not know or have questions about your company´s services or products; this is the time to ask lots of questions. You should have a thorough understanding of who you´re hiring program is helping and why.

PLANNING PHASE
The Audit: It is necessary to begin the planning phase with an audit. Understand your existing processes before building new processes. Essentially you need to know where you´ve been before you know where you´re going. The Audit consists of two focuses: Workflow Mapping and Role Profiling (task allocation, time/attendance and benchmarks). This will give a clear picture of your current infrastructure and team participation. Follow in the sequential order:

Workflow Mapping:

• A step-by-step birds-eye view flow chart of tasks and decision points per role and how they interconnect to completion.

Role Profiling:

• Task allocation: an itemized list of tasks per person or role
• Time/attendance: captures % of time per task that calculates a role´s daily or weekly workload to attendance.
• Benchmarks: capture best performance (or average performance) per task or group of tasks that quantifies the performance of workload per role.

These focuses should include every role involved in the process; hiring managers, coordinators, candidates, and not just recruiters and HR business partners. Once the audit is complete, you´re ready to begin constructing your preliminary draft of your new program.

The Draft: Once the audit is complete, develop a preliminary draft to be used as a working model of the new infrastructure. It will be your 2-dimensional view to integrate with the technology. The Draft has four focuses: Deconstruction, Workflow Mapping, Role Profiling and Validation. Follow in this sequential order:

Deconstruction:

• Analysis of the old process and looking for areas to automate. For instance, if a recruiter was literally putting non-qualified resumes in a folder in a filing cabinet, this step will be eliminated with the candidate resume being kept in the database.

Workflow Mapping:

• Develop a new step by step birds-eye view flow chart of tasks and/or decision points per role and how they interconnect to completion. But you will also add technology usage per role.

Role Profiling:

• Task allocation: an itemized list of tasks per person or role. During the draft phase it is only necessary to initiate this part of the role profile

Validation:

• Comparative analysis between the old program versus the new program to identify automation efficiencies and estimated cost savings. Essentially your "proof-of-concept."

Similar to the audit, build out the draft focuses for each person involved in the process. Once the preliminary draft is complete, you are prepared for the next step, the Vision.

The Vision: once the draft phase is complete, it is now time to gain approval and assemble an influential steering team that will help finalize the preliminary draft. The Vision has four focuses: Approval, Identification, Presentation, and Findings. Follow in this sequential order:

Approval:

• Develop an executive summary to present to the most senior level stakeholder in the project. Preferably an officer or corporate executive leader. This is necessary to gain project credibility and funding. Without completing this step, the project will be set up for failure.

Identification:

• Assess and identify a representative group of program participants, such as executive or senior level managers and "power" users. It is critical to keep a manageable group size, but a group that can be called upon to support the project at any point during implementation.

Presentation:

• Conduct an introduction meeting with the steering team to outline project objectives, timing and preliminary draft. It is necessary to discuss the draft infrastructure and get feedback to finalize overall process and technology requirements.

Findings:

• Add, modify and/or edit the preliminary draft based upon feedback from the presentation session to finalize the pilot project plan.

The Requirements: now that you´ve audited, validated and coordinated the project and gained the necessary approval and support, you´re ready to lay out the overall requirements for technology application. The Requirements has four focuses: Process, User, Unique Qualifiers, and Budget. Follow in this sequential order:

Process:

• Articulate the technology interaction within the process to clarify the necessary application per task. Outline must haves versus preferences such as email integration versus Internet accessibility.

User:

• Articulate the technology and user interface to clarify the necessary capabilities for ease-of-use and features. Outline must haves versus preferences such as drag-and-drop usability versus filling out fields to document activity.

Unique Qualifiers:

• Articulate any unique needs for process or users, such as foreign languages and/or data reporting.

Budget:

• Formulate a budget range that will maintain a positive cost/benefit result and will not allow over-purchasing of unnecessary features. Essentially keep with the basics and set your budget accordingly.

Once you´ve pulled your requirements into a report, congratulations! You have successfully completed the Planning Phase. You are now ready to move into the Vendor Selection phase. The Requirements report will be the foundation for the Request for Information (RFI) or Request for Proposal (RFP) stages in identifying potential vendors. But more importantly you are on your way to becoming paperless.

This methodology is not theory, but rather a validated practice I have used while in my corporate roles and with my clients as a consultant. It is a practical approach to organizing and preparing for technology implementation. Each remaining phase of technology implementation (Selection, Implementation and Maintenance) should similarly be articulated and organized.

Lastly, the most important role you play as a project leader is ´champion´. If you do not carry the torch and remain passionate throughout the entire process, no one else will and the project will fail. Whether you are a novice or seasoned project leader, it is important to assemble the necessary resources to enable you to succeed.

Develop relationships with peers and consultants, and stay connected with offline or online publications to help you keep abreast of best practices. This approach will help ensure your success and reputation as a contributor to the organization. Good Luck!