WorkForce Software, time management software publisher, launched the Standard Product at the end of 2016. This module includes a base product to which extensions are added and based on an implementation methodology called Xcelerate. This implementation approach allows the analysis of requirements as well as a configuration of the solution much more efficient by comparison to a fully customized design. The Standard Product offers the industry’s best practices regarding time management and attendance basic functionalities while being able to adapt to more precise clients’ requirements.
In April 2017, Vizio, an entertainment company with expertise in the fabrication and marketing of electronic equipment, contacted IN-RGY regarding the implementation of a new time management system. The business issue of the California company was clear: replace the actual system and the obsolete processes with a very strict timeframe and budget. To meet this request, IN-RGY proposed to Vizio to go ahead with Workforce Standard Product. One of the great advantages of the proposed methodology lies in the fact that after, or even while collecting the requirements, it is easy to show users and stakeholders what a base instance, with various components offered by Standard Product (banks, policy profile, etc.) looks like. The client can then decide to add and customize items based on his needs. One of the module strengths is this simplicity to demonstrate because the client really pays only for the added value he is expecting to get.
Getting onboard with Standard Product means, short-term and long-term, success since this product has been designed to guarantee direct benefits for any company that adopts it, particularly at the project management level. Standard Product plays on the three axes of project management: timeframe, cost and quality.
The timeframe
Standard Product acts on the timeframe to optimize it. The fact that this product is designed on a turn key model (base plus extensions) allows to considerably reduce the solution design and architecture tasks. The architecture of the standard interfaces and of the basic functionalities are included in the product. This means that the consultants save a lot of configuration time and can start adapting the various elements to each client own requirements. The efficiency regarding timeframes is mostly due to the huge range of templates, already tested, which the professionals can use. Simply put, Standard Product, with is configuration speed, offers clients a product at a reduced price and to companies, the capacity to respect very tight timeframes. During the Vizio project, this time saving was evident from the very start. According to Alexandre Dionne, a project senior consultant, Standard Product was key to save about 60 hours of configuration and more than 100 hours in collecting requirements and testing. These combined 160 hours are not negligible and considerable reduce the client’s invoice.
The cost
As mentioned above, an easy configuration largely minimizes the number of hours allocated and thus reduces the global cost of consulting hours. Another impact to be considered is the reduction of the size of the work teams and the number of allocated resources compared to a similar size project configured from scratch. For the Vizio project, two consultants and a project lead were assigned while respecting the time and budget constraints. There is no doubt that at least one more consultant would have been necessary for the design and realization of the configuration in the case of a customized solution. Simply put, the standardized product facilitates managing the project by limiting and reducing the costs of staff and management.
The quality
In addition to the cost reduction, the smaller size of the work teams also plays a leading role in the organization and communication between the stakeholders. The consultants work with less administrative layers and contact with their colleagues is easier. This methodology allows the consultants to focus their efforts on each project more complex specificities, knowing that the basic requirements are already preconfigured. Furthermore, Standard Product offers companies a configuration that respects the local and federal regulations. These business rules can sometimes be hard to follow if they are not automated. Only a specialized high-performance software can meet these extensive requirements. It is the case with the FMLA and FLSA, legislations that govern labour in the United States. These legislations comprise many business rules that can be applied in various situations. WorkForce Software, with its Standard Product, allows respecting these rules and to follow their impact on a company. During the Vizio project, the FLSA automation was a very important requirement for the California organization. Standard Product facilitated the configuration by providing complete template that oversee all the procedures of this law. Compliance is at the heart of WorkForce’s concerns and makes it a core value during the design of their standardized product.
In conclusion, following the Vizio project, the results and the client’s feedback were very satisfactory. If some scope limits exist today such as: product originally made for the US market, adapted to organizations with less than 5000 employees and with a default Policy profile group. The standard Product is a tool that can adapt to any organization with specific needs. In addition to its ease of configuration, this product allows respecting time and budget constraints without compromising the quality of the final result. It remains easily customizable to meet specific needs. Standard Product represents a revolutionary tool that is an excellent alternative, in most situations, to a configuration from scratch based on the high added value it offers.
Amine El Graoui, Consultant, Workforce Software Practice