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Manage the unique challenges of HR IT projects with Half Double
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Published
16 June 2025
HR IT projects often face unique challenges due to their complex nature and diverse user base. By leveraging the Half Double methodology, organisations can deliver impactful results faster, ensuring that both deep and superficial users benefit from a streamlined system. This article explores how the Half Double approach can transform your HR IT implementations into successful, value-driven projects.
Setting the scene: The complexity of HR IT implementations
HR IT projects, while similar to standard IT projects in many respects, come with unique challenges. They aim to integrate standard IT solutions into company-specific processes, often for a small user base within the HR support function. However, the complexity arises because the entire organisation interacts with the system sporadically but expects seamless experiences.Â
Managers, who use these systems more frequently, wield significant influence, and often push back during implementation due to varying expectations and experiences. Additionally, the benefits of HR IT systems are often not immediately apparent, making it hard to justify the costs and maintain ongoing support throughout a multi-year project. Taken together, these factors contribute to the overall complexity and require a tailored approach to ensure successful implementation and adoption.
The Half Double advantage
The Half Double methodology is particularly effective in HR IT projects due to its hybrid nature. It combines the flexibility of agile methods with the structure of waterfall approaches. This balance is crucial in HR IT projects, which often follow both an annual HR cycle requiring certain deliverables by specific deadlines and a system-specific standard implementation model.
Key characteristics of Half Double include:
- Focus on early impact and stakeholder satisfaction:
To ensure that even in long-term projects, stakeholders see tangible benefits early on to maintain support and funding.
- Focus on flow and leadership:
To ensure a smooth workflow and strong leadership to guide the project through its various stages to deliver on time.
- Local context and adaptation:
Customising the approach based on the unique needs and context of the organisation, including the chosen system implementation model and the HR annual cycle.
Diving deeper: Practical application of Half Double tools
We have experienced that some of the Half Double tools are particularly beneficial in HR IT projects. Some of our favourites include:
Impact solution design: Delivering early value
One of the core principles of Half Double is its emphasis on delivering early impact. This focus ensures that even in long-term projects, stakeholders see tangible benefits early on, maintaining support and funding. Through impact solution design, the project is broken into smaller, impactful deliverables that help showcase early wins – something particularly important in HR IT projects.
Pulse checks: Staying aligned with stakeholders
Pulse checks are a cornerstone of the Half Double methodology. They involve regular feedback sessions with stakeholders to gauge satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. In HR IT projects, where user experience can vary widely, pulse checks ensure that both deep and superficial users feel heard and supported.
Visual planning: Clarifying dependencies and ownership
Visual planning sessions help map out the entire project, highlighting dependencies between different tracks such as data migration, process configuration, and change management. This clarity ensures that all team members understand their roles and the interdependencies, fostering a sense of collective ownership. In projects like HR IT implementations, where the vendor typically handles technical implementation and the business leads change management and process alignment, having a shared understanding of cross-dependencies is key to uncovering missing activities and hidden assumptions.
Leadership: Driving collaborative behaviour
Collaborative leadership is crucial in HR IT implementations. By involving stakeholders early and continuously, project managers can ensure buy-in and smooth transitions. This approach helps address concerns proactively and securing the necessary support for successful rollouts.
Demonstrating value and securing support
HR IT projects are often met with scepticism due to the difficulty in measuring direct benefits. Unlike other IT projects where outcomes like inventory management improvements are easily quantifiable, HR IT systems optimise processes that may not show immediate ROI.
Half Double addresses this by:
- Aligning with business goals: Regularly aligning project outcomes with broader business objectives ensures that the HR IT system supports the organisation's strategic goals, making it easier to justify investments.
- Focusing on measurable quick wins: Delivering small, incremental improvements that demonstrate value early in the project lifecycle helps to build confidence and secure ongoing support.
- Transparent communication: Keeping stakeholders informed about progress, challenges, and successes ensures transparency and maintains trust.
Real-world success stories
Case study 1: Early impact in recruitment module
An organisation faced challenges with a traditional HR IT implementation approach, which led to budget overruns and limited stakeholder engagement. By adopting the impact-focused mindset from Half Double, they shifted focus to deliver the recruitment module first, thereby meeting stakeholder priorities. This generated enthusiasm and secured continued funding, ultimately paving the way for a successful full implementation.
Case study 2: Visual planning identifies weak spots
In another instance, a collaborative visual planning session revealed that certain team members lacked the necessary understanding to plan their tasks effectively. This early identification of inadequate skills in the team allowed the project manager to make critical adjustments, ensuring the right people were in the right roles, which greatly improved project outcomes.
Embracing Half Double for HR IT success
HR IT projects are inherently complex, but adopting the Half Double methodology can transform these challenges into opportunities for greater efficiency and user satisfaction. By focusing on impact, maintaining robust user engagement, and demonstrating value through quick wins and transparent communication, organisations can ensure successful HR IT implementations.
For small to medium enterprises, this approach is particularly relevant as it offers a structured yet flexible framework that aligns with their unique needs and resource constraints. Implementing Half Double can lead to smoother rollouts, better user experiences, and ultimately, a more productive and harmonious workplace.
By leveraging the Half Double methodology, your organisation can not only navigate the complexities of HR IT projects but also unlock their full potential, driving long-term benefits and achieving strategic objectives with confidence.
