I've been talking to many stressed out HR professionals over the past month or two. They're all in the process of launching newly revamped Performance Management processes and/or systems for their organizations. The Performance Management process is one of the few high-profile Talent Management processes that touches virtually every person in your organization! Often, it is the Performance Management process that really defines the face of HR to the organization.
Whether your project involves the launch of brand new technology, or enhancing processes that were previously put in place, here are a few best practices to help ease your transition:
1. "Brand" the Initiative: Rather than referring to your rollout as "The Performance Mgt System," create an internal brand for the initiative. It's much more effective to communicate about a branded project - complete with logos, colors, and messaging. If you have an overall HR or Talent Management brand, the performance management component should be tied to the larger brand. Brand all training, reference, and communication materials accordingly.
2. Use the Personal Approach: If possible, assign champions of the process for each of your business areas. These individuals will be the megaphone that prepares each business area for the coming changes. They should be well-versed in the policy and process issues surrounding your project. Whether these champions are doing formal presentations in "roadshow" style, or having informal conversations in the hallway,cafeteria, parking lot, etc..., the value of the personal approach cannot be overstated.
3. Assign a Dedicated PM "Ninja": Assign at least one dedicated person (depending on the size of your organization) as the process "Ninja." This person should understand the process from top to bottom and have "super-user" capability to administer the system you're implementing. The Ninja will be your first line of defense in stamping out potential problems before they turn into major meltdowns.
4. Have a Clearly Defined Support Plan: Communicate clearly to your business areas the escalation chain for the support of your new process. Who is the first line of support for process questions? Policy questions? Will there be a call center with baseline knowledge to assist the user community? When should potential issues be escalated the the Ninja? All of the above should be clearly defined in a support matrix.
5. Be Vigilant: Folks, there will be flame-ups in your project - it's a given! Be vigilant. Be on the alert for potential flame-ups, investigate anything suspicious. Be prepared to react. Whether it is process confusion, system glitches, or any other problem. By stamping out a flame-up early, you can avoid a flame-up turning into a wild fire that could damage the perception of your process for the long term.