GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 40
GPSJ
HR & FINANCE
Successfully implementing HR and finance
systems in the public sector
By Lesley Moore, Director, Field Services, Workday
Traditionally, these systems
have been riddled with
challenges, including extensive
customisation, long testing
phases, poor reliability and
difficulty applying software and
a lack of updates.
Today, cloud-based SaaS (software
as a service) HR and Finance
systems are replacing these onpremise and legacy systems of old.
Reliability, safety, security and
cost of ownership are other
considerations that must be
taken into account during any
transformation. Here, too, SaaS
40
solutions can offer new benefits.
If we’re to empower finance and
HR teams with better technology,
challenge the perception of these
system’s potential and offer public
sector bodies a more productive
future, it’s worth examining how the
landscape has changed.
Every cloud is unique
The days of on-premise systems are
behind us. Like the private sector,
the public sector is aware that the
benefits of the cloud – from lower
maintenance costs to more powerful
features – cannot be ignored
Nevertheless, not all cloud-based
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL AUTUMN 2024
options are created equally. After
decades of using on-premise
solutions, there can be a temptation
to simply lift and shift those legacy
platforms to the cloud – sometimes
on behalf of the companies providing
them. There’s a misconception that
this approach minimises business
impact and commercial risks like
costs or testing phases. In reality,
this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Cloud-native ERP systems like
Workday are the other side of
the coin and offer benefits that
go beyond a change of server
infrastructure. These solutions offer
an ‘adopt, not adapt’ approach
– meaning features are pre-built
and can be configured rather than
customised to meet individual
department bodies’ needs.
Likewise, security and feature
updates are automatic in cloudnative systems, and accessing
new features is simplified. Because
everything is pre-tested and built by
the solution provider, rollouts are fast.
With these solutions, customers’
HR and finance teams are no longer
paying to act as their supplier’s own
software beta-testers. Instead, they
get the intended product from day
one.
With a platform like Workday
Prism Analytics, IT teams remain
in control of security, while teams
can self-serve insights without
any coding or additional licences
required. Alongside putting data to
work, cloud-native platforms are also
more easily integrated with other
critical third-party systems, without
requiring extra layers of code to be
built. All of this helps to raise the bar
when it comes to HR and finance
productivity. Those teams become
more autonomous, data-driven and
engaged because they can easily
find and deploy the insights they
need, whenever they need them.
However, this doesn’t mean
help isn’t available when needed.
Cloud-native providers like Workday,
and its net implementation partners,
maintain ongoing support to ensure
organisations are maximising the
return on their investment and
operating with confidence.
However, it does mean individual
HR or finance teams, as well as
their larger organisations, have the
autonomy to adjust systems to their
changing needs without having to
call out a Systems Integrator for
every new request.
Reaping the rewards of SaaS
implementation
The silver lining: future-proofing
for AI
Perhaps even more important
than the logistical benefits, like
easier maintenance and short
testing periods, are the results a
SaaS implementation can offer to
the end users in finance and HR
departments.
One of the biggest boons to these
teams is the ability to undertake
sophisticated analytics on their
growing datasets. To date, the public
sector has often struggled to extract
value from data. With reams of it
trapped in legacy systems IT teams
are left struggling to service ad hoc
requests to put it to use.
A shift to cloud-native systems can
keep that data tightly guarded, while
deploying a layer of sophisticated
analytics over the top, which delivers
practical insights. Whether used
for financial forecasting, identifying
skill gaps or annual audits, these
advanced analytics bring concrete
benefits to HR and finance
productivity.
With the age of AI well underway,
cloud-native SaaS systems
additionally offer a future-proof
solution for the public sector.
These platforms can roll-out new AI
features as they become available,
with minimal disruption to teams.
For organisations that are still
experimenting with where AI fits
within their workflows, they also offer
a safe way to turn such features on
and off, without needing to rework
an entire system.
For leaders looking to upgrade
their HR and finance systems, the
process no longer has to be a
painful one. There’s an opportunity to
break the vicious cycle of high costs
and increasingly poor return on
investment for outdated technology,
and to instead embrace a future of
work that’s more productive, simpler
and cost effective for the public
sector and its people.
