BSMH3093 HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM
Maintaining and
Enhancing HRIS
BSMH3093 HUMAN RESOURCE
INFORMATION SYSTEM
Objectives
explain the THREE types of
maintenance,
discuss the keys to successful
maintenance,
identify when maintenance is
required, and
elaborate of the process of
maintenance.
Definition
• Refers primarily to software maintenance rather
than hardware maintenance
• It includes:
▫ Technical changes that do not alter HRIS functions
and features
▫ Correcting bugs in programs or data
▫ Altering data definitions (field sizes, types, and
codes)
▫ Modifying a system already in production
▫ Fine-tuning a system so that it will run faster
▫ Major enhancements such as the addition on new
modules
Definition
Maintenance refers
to any changes made
to the HRIS after the
system becomes
operational and has
been accepted.
Types of Maintenance
Corrective
Perfective
Adaptive
Corrective maintenance
• often occurs early in the HRIS life cycle
• Fixing problems that prevent the system from
working the way the designers and users
intended it to work
• Some of the problems that lead to this kind of
problem are
▫ incorrect design (for example bugs that occur
from an improper or incomplete requirements
definition),
▫ development (for example poor coding), or
▫ implementation
Adaptive maintenance
• Done when there are changes in technology,
government regulations, or other external forces,
such as new system releases from the vendor.
• Some examples of adaptive maintenance include
▫ increasing the size of identity card field from eight
to fourteen characters, and
▫ changing the percentage in the calculation of the
Employee Pension Fund calculation.
Perfective maintenance
• at optimizing the performance of the system.
• It is done when there is a request from the users
and technicians.
• may not be as important as corrective or adaptive
maintenance, but it can enhance the capability of
an HRIS.
• it is mostly carried out during the growing stage of
an HRIS life cycle.
• In a mature system, perfective maintenance occurs
because the users become more expert with the
system, that HRSC integrate new tools and
techniques into HRIS work.
Keys to Successful Maintenance
Maintainability
Maintenance Policies and Procedures
A Maintenance Control Philosophy
Maintenance Tools
Standards for HRIS Components
Maintenance Budget
Maintenance Staff
Maintainability
• The best strategy where maintainability is concerned is
to build or buy a system that requires as little
maintenance as possible.
• According to Ceriello and Freeman (1991) a system that
is maintainable has the following characteristics:
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Is easy to understand
Operates reliably
Operates efficiently
Has good documentation
Is easy to test
Is easy to modify
Is programmed in structured and modular code
Incorporates 4GL and database management technology.
Maintenance Policies and Procedures
• Policies and procedures are important to ensure
maintenance management system can run
smoothly.
• Some of the policies and procedures that should
be considered include:
▫ Maintenance request and acceptance process
▫ Maintenance scheduling
▫ Maintenance service agreements
A Maintenance Control Philosophy
• With regard to maintenance control, the
company must decide how much system control
should users have and how much the HRSC and
vendor have.
Types of Maintenance Control Options
HIGH
RISK
Phased/
User
Rigid
LOW USER
EXPERIENCE
HIGH USER
EXPERIENC
E
Flexible
User
LOW
RISK
Phased
control
• integrates rigid and flexible control. Initially, control may be
rigid. Eventually, as users gain experience, control may relax.
User
control
• allows users to help determine maintenance approaches. It may
even include making users accountable for part of the
maintenance load.
• supports the view that the HRIS will be flexible and adaptable to
support the HR community for as long as possible. Nonetheless,
the HRSC determines and administers criteria for evaluating
most maintenance requests.
• literally means that the HRIS vendor or HRSC does not allow
the users to make requests for any changes on the system at all.
Flexible
control
Rigid
control
Types of Maintenance Control Options
Maintenance Tools
• There are many types of tools available for the
purpose of maintenance.
• Technical tools, such as fourth-generation
languages and data dictionaries, are available to
help keep maintenance flexible and fast.
• In addition to that, organizational processes and
techniques help HRSC staff and users
understand the system and each other.
Standards for HRIS Components
• All modifications made
should comply with a
certain standards.
• This standards are to
ensure that all
modifications made
maintain the
compatibility and quality
of both hardware and
software components.
Maintenance Budget
• Maintenance is not cheap. That is why if possible
any company would want a system that requires
as little maintenance as possible.
• However, in most case it is not possible.
Therefore, for effective maintenance, enough
funds must be made available.
• In fact, it is a good idea to view maintenance not
merely as an expense to minimize, but as an
opportunity to protect and enhance assets.
Maintenance Staff
• Characteristics of good maintainers are:
▫ Experienced
exposed to a variety of application and programming environments.
▫ Flexible
adapt to difficult or changing styles of coding, user requests, and
priorities.
▫ Self-motivated
initiate and complete work independently after receiving an
assignment.
▫ Responsible
reliably perform assigned tasks in a dependable, timely manner.
▫ Disciplined
consistent in the performance of duties and disciplined to try
haphazard approaches.
▫ Analytical
apply well-thought-out analyses to problems
When Maintenance is Required?
• Evaluations
▫ Users evaluations of the system.
Type of interaction user has with HRIS
Human resource functions with which users has the
most contact
Specific features, and the satisfaction level of each
feature
Desired enhancements and the importance of each
enhancement
Critical success factors established during planning
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
• Service Requests
▫ when the system did not function well at all or it
fails to meet standards completely, OR
▫ the system works so well that the users see new
avenues for improvement
• User Surveys
▫ surveys should be conducted in order to find out
the current level of HRIS performance.
HRIS issues, strengths, and weakness,
user satisfaction with HRIS and HRSC, and
changing human resource needs.
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
Audits
▫ is formal activity performed with the purpose of checking
the functions and performance of a system. In a HRIS
audit, the system is checked against a certain standard.
Basically, audits are performed to:
obtain information about how well the system is meeting its
specified goals.
identify corrective and enhancement maintenance needed.
evaluate HRIS and HRSC staff performance objectively.
provide HRSC management with objective data to deal with
organizational and IS management.
demonstrate to management, users, and IS that the HRSC is
accepting responsibility for HRNS problems and solutions
Types of Audits
Type
Activities
Designed to evaluate the completed HRIS development activity.
Postimplementation Identify needed improvements in technical areas and areas such
as documentation and team building.
Results provides basis for future system audits.
Indictor
analysis
Is done based on a list of objective performance indicator.
The indicators should be monitored on an ongoing basis for signs
that the system may need maintenance.
Annual audit
To identify maintenance needs and early sighs of problem.
Done periodically.
HRM audit
Audit each HR functions, and see whether they are responsive to
their clients.
HR functions responsiveness stems from HRIS performance in
areas such as accuracy and timeliness of personnel records and
reports.
Electronic data Covers technical issues, and not functional issues.
Testing how the automated IS deal with factors such as security,
processing
audit
changes to the database, system performance
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
• Business and Government Changes
▫ To remain competitive, businesses must be able to
adapt to the changes that are happening all around it,
especially if the change is instigated by the
government. Adapting to these changes means that
the business itself has to undergo some kind of
change. As a result, the IS system used also have to
change, including the HRIS.
• New Developments in the HRIS Field
▫ The information technology evolves very rapidly. The
HRIS manager should always keep up to date on the
latest development of HRIS-related products, services
and project-management techniques.
The Maintenance and Enhancement Process
Understand
HRIS goals
and objectives
staff, vendors,
and consultants
understand
entire system
study source
listing
examine
documentation
Study
potential
changes
categorize
changes
conduct
feasibility study
perform
cost/benefit/
value analysis
Design
approved
changes
agree on
maintenance
contract
keep design
simple
eliminate impct
on other
modules
update
maintenance log
Implement
approved
changes
study the design
alter the code
update
documentation
perform needed
training
Evaluate HRIS
maintenance
monitor costs
monitor staff size
and
qualifications
monitor
maintenance logs
and requests
periodic formal
testing
examine
development and
maintenance logs
test revised
system
When Maintenance is not Enough
• One reason a system needs to be replace is
because the performance of the system has
declined.
• Systems declines due to several reasons, mainly:
▫ business needs evolve,
▫ new technology emerges,
▫ the system has experienced a certain level of
change from its original form,
▫ the system is more of a encumbrance rather than a
service.
How does one knows a systems needs to be
replaced?
• There are many tools that HRSC managers can use to get
this kind of information.
▫ For example, audits, logs, and user and consultant
evaluations.
• Information from these sources can be used to compare the
performance of the system to a predetermined standard.
• Other than that, some of the things that one can watch for
are:
▫ maintenance resources – both time and money – have been
increasing,
▫ maintenance request increase in number,
▫ maintenance activities no longer provides dramatic
productivity improvements
Several possible replacement strategies
(Ceriello &Freeman 1991)
•
•
•
•
do not replace; let the HRIS collapse,
replace modules as they reach decline,
replace the entire system once it reaches decline,
replace parts of the system as cost-benefits-value
analysis indicates,
• replace the entire system as cost-benefit-value
analysis indicates,
• replace the system before decline begins, but
diagnose the problems early.
QUESTIONS???
Enhancing HRIS
BSMH3093 HUMAN RESOURCE
INFORMATION SYSTEM
Objectives
explain the THREE types of
maintenance,
discuss the keys to successful
maintenance,
identify when maintenance is
required, and
elaborate of the process of
maintenance.
Definition
• Refers primarily to software maintenance rather
than hardware maintenance
• It includes:
▫ Technical changes that do not alter HRIS functions
and features
▫ Correcting bugs in programs or data
▫ Altering data definitions (field sizes, types, and
codes)
▫ Modifying a system already in production
▫ Fine-tuning a system so that it will run faster
▫ Major enhancements such as the addition on new
modules
Definition
Maintenance refers
to any changes made
to the HRIS after the
system becomes
operational and has
been accepted.
Types of Maintenance
Corrective
Perfective
Adaptive
Corrective maintenance
• often occurs early in the HRIS life cycle
• Fixing problems that prevent the system from
working the way the designers and users
intended it to work
• Some of the problems that lead to this kind of
problem are
▫ incorrect design (for example bugs that occur
from an improper or incomplete requirements
definition),
▫ development (for example poor coding), or
▫ implementation
Adaptive maintenance
• Done when there are changes in technology,
government regulations, or other external forces,
such as new system releases from the vendor.
• Some examples of adaptive maintenance include
▫ increasing the size of identity card field from eight
to fourteen characters, and
▫ changing the percentage in the calculation of the
Employee Pension Fund calculation.
Perfective maintenance
• at optimizing the performance of the system.
• It is done when there is a request from the users
and technicians.
• may not be as important as corrective or adaptive
maintenance, but it can enhance the capability of
an HRIS.
• it is mostly carried out during the growing stage of
an HRIS life cycle.
• In a mature system, perfective maintenance occurs
because the users become more expert with the
system, that HRSC integrate new tools and
techniques into HRIS work.
Keys to Successful Maintenance
Maintainability
Maintenance Policies and Procedures
A Maintenance Control Philosophy
Maintenance Tools
Standards for HRIS Components
Maintenance Budget
Maintenance Staff
Maintainability
• The best strategy where maintainability is concerned is
to build or buy a system that requires as little
maintenance as possible.
• According to Ceriello and Freeman (1991) a system that
is maintainable has the following characteristics:
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Is easy to understand
Operates reliably
Operates efficiently
Has good documentation
Is easy to test
Is easy to modify
Is programmed in structured and modular code
Incorporates 4GL and database management technology.
Maintenance Policies and Procedures
• Policies and procedures are important to ensure
maintenance management system can run
smoothly.
• Some of the policies and procedures that should
be considered include:
▫ Maintenance request and acceptance process
▫ Maintenance scheduling
▫ Maintenance service agreements
A Maintenance Control Philosophy
• With regard to maintenance control, the
company must decide how much system control
should users have and how much the HRSC and
vendor have.
Types of Maintenance Control Options
HIGH
RISK
Phased/
User
Rigid
LOW USER
EXPERIENCE
HIGH USER
EXPERIENC
E
Flexible
User
LOW
RISK
Phased
control
• integrates rigid and flexible control. Initially, control may be
rigid. Eventually, as users gain experience, control may relax.
User
control
• allows users to help determine maintenance approaches. It may
even include making users accountable for part of the
maintenance load.
• supports the view that the HRIS will be flexible and adaptable to
support the HR community for as long as possible. Nonetheless,
the HRSC determines and administers criteria for evaluating
most maintenance requests.
• literally means that the HRIS vendor or HRSC does not allow
the users to make requests for any changes on the system at all.
Flexible
control
Rigid
control
Types of Maintenance Control Options
Maintenance Tools
• There are many types of tools available for the
purpose of maintenance.
• Technical tools, such as fourth-generation
languages and data dictionaries, are available to
help keep maintenance flexible and fast.
• In addition to that, organizational processes and
techniques help HRSC staff and users
understand the system and each other.
Standards for HRIS Components
• All modifications made
should comply with a
certain standards.
• This standards are to
ensure that all
modifications made
maintain the
compatibility and quality
of both hardware and
software components.
Maintenance Budget
• Maintenance is not cheap. That is why if possible
any company would want a system that requires
as little maintenance as possible.
• However, in most case it is not possible.
Therefore, for effective maintenance, enough
funds must be made available.
• In fact, it is a good idea to view maintenance not
merely as an expense to minimize, but as an
opportunity to protect and enhance assets.
Maintenance Staff
• Characteristics of good maintainers are:
▫ Experienced
exposed to a variety of application and programming environments.
▫ Flexible
adapt to difficult or changing styles of coding, user requests, and
priorities.
▫ Self-motivated
initiate and complete work independently after receiving an
assignment.
▫ Responsible
reliably perform assigned tasks in a dependable, timely manner.
▫ Disciplined
consistent in the performance of duties and disciplined to try
haphazard approaches.
▫ Analytical
apply well-thought-out analyses to problems
When Maintenance is Required?
• Evaluations
▫ Users evaluations of the system.
Type of interaction user has with HRIS
Human resource functions with which users has the
most contact
Specific features, and the satisfaction level of each
feature
Desired enhancements and the importance of each
enhancement
Critical success factors established during planning
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
• Service Requests
▫ when the system did not function well at all or it
fails to meet standards completely, OR
▫ the system works so well that the users see new
avenues for improvement
• User Surveys
▫ surveys should be conducted in order to find out
the current level of HRIS performance.
HRIS issues, strengths, and weakness,
user satisfaction with HRIS and HRSC, and
changing human resource needs.
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
Audits
▫ is formal activity performed with the purpose of checking
the functions and performance of a system. In a HRIS
audit, the system is checked against a certain standard.
Basically, audits are performed to:
obtain information about how well the system is meeting its
specified goals.
identify corrective and enhancement maintenance needed.
evaluate HRIS and HRSC staff performance objectively.
provide HRSC management with objective data to deal with
organizational and IS management.
demonstrate to management, users, and IS that the HRSC is
accepting responsibility for HRNS problems and solutions
Types of Audits
Type
Activities
Designed to evaluate the completed HRIS development activity.
Postimplementation Identify needed improvements in technical areas and areas such
as documentation and team building.
Results provides basis for future system audits.
Indictor
analysis
Is done based on a list of objective performance indicator.
The indicators should be monitored on an ongoing basis for signs
that the system may need maintenance.
Annual audit
To identify maintenance needs and early sighs of problem.
Done periodically.
HRM audit
Audit each HR functions, and see whether they are responsive to
their clients.
HR functions responsiveness stems from HRIS performance in
areas such as accuracy and timeliness of personnel records and
reports.
Electronic data Covers technical issues, and not functional issues.
Testing how the automated IS deal with factors such as security,
processing
audit
changes to the database, system performance
When Maintenance is Required? (cont.)
• Business and Government Changes
▫ To remain competitive, businesses must be able to
adapt to the changes that are happening all around it,
especially if the change is instigated by the
government. Adapting to these changes means that
the business itself has to undergo some kind of
change. As a result, the IS system used also have to
change, including the HRIS.
• New Developments in the HRIS Field
▫ The information technology evolves very rapidly. The
HRIS manager should always keep up to date on the
latest development of HRIS-related products, services
and project-management techniques.
The Maintenance and Enhancement Process
Understand
HRIS goals
and objectives
staff, vendors,
and consultants
understand
entire system
study source
listing
examine
documentation
Study
potential
changes
categorize
changes
conduct
feasibility study
perform
cost/benefit/
value analysis
Design
approved
changes
agree on
maintenance
contract
keep design
simple
eliminate impct
on other
modules
update
maintenance log
Implement
approved
changes
study the design
alter the code
update
documentation
perform needed
training
Evaluate HRIS
maintenance
monitor costs
monitor staff size
and
qualifications
monitor
maintenance logs
and requests
periodic formal
testing
examine
development and
maintenance logs
test revised
system
When Maintenance is not Enough
• One reason a system needs to be replace is
because the performance of the system has
declined.
• Systems declines due to several reasons, mainly:
▫ business needs evolve,
▫ new technology emerges,
▫ the system has experienced a certain level of
change from its original form,
▫ the system is more of a encumbrance rather than a
service.
How does one knows a systems needs to be
replaced?
• There are many tools that HRSC managers can use to get
this kind of information.
▫ For example, audits, logs, and user and consultant
evaluations.
• Information from these sources can be used to compare the
performance of the system to a predetermined standard.
• Other than that, some of the things that one can watch for
are:
▫ maintenance resources – both time and money – have been
increasing,
▫ maintenance request increase in number,
▫ maintenance activities no longer provides dramatic
productivity improvements
Several possible replacement strategies
(Ceriello &Freeman 1991)
•
•
•
•
do not replace; let the HRIS collapse,
replace modules as they reach decline,
replace the entire system once it reaches decline,
replace parts of the system as cost-benefits-value
analysis indicates,
• replace the entire system as cost-benefit-value
analysis indicates,
• replace the system before decline begins, but
diagnose the problems early.
QUESTIONS???