EVOLA Take-To-Run: the methodology and the software product are continuous

TAdviser: What is offered to the market by EVOLA company?

'Sergey Shishov: The EVOLA company specializes in HCM SAP ERP system implementation. We create solutions, relevant for modern business, on the basis of the software of SAP, we improve them using new technologies which appear in Russia and in the world. Developing services of implementation of information solutions, we think, first of all, of their functional filling. It concerns, including uses of the powerful and convenient tools in the field of a business intelligence intended for acceptance of management decisions. We are also engaged in researches and implementation of business processes on the basis of service technologies (SOA) which allow to manage processes and to build them in the company on more flexible basis.'

TAdviser: What your most interesting current projects?

Shekhodanov: We completed the project in TNK-BP company on process automation of management of personnel potential, including managements by objectives, remunerations, social programs, corporate training. All these blocks are implemented in management company in Moscow and in Ryazan Oil Refining Company. Besides, within all company processes of management of a talent pool are implemented. On the basis of service model processes of approval of agreements on training between different divisions and external partners are automated. In TNK-BP in management processes on the purposes the staff of the corporate center participates in Moscow: the non-management employee sets to itself the purposes, sets performance indicators, his head approves them. All this occurs within an information system, and all employees (office workers) are its users.

The project of replication of basic control functions by personnel at Saratov Refinery during which processes of personnel records, constructions by an organization structure, a time recording, payroll were automated was in parallel implemented.

Sergey Shishov: One more recent project – in Gazprom Neft company. We were invited at the moment when the implementation project of the personnel ERP systems block already went. The customer needed specialists who could develop methodology of personnel records and payroll in short terms. The choice fell on EVOLA company, and we met expectations of the customer, including thanks to our standard practices (in the form of ready documents by description of processes and in the form of ready program files – configuration packets) in the field of automation of personnel functions, first of all payroll. We came with the ready documents describing how it is necessary to plan and consider working time to calculate salary. Having corrected these documents according to specifics and requirements of Gazprom Neft company, we could present the ready-made solution which is put into operation now for several months and works.

In parallel with automation of basic control functions by personnel, we implemented management process on the purposes which covered all top management of the company, from the CEO to heads of the directions (more than 500 heads). Among these purposes is as the corporate indicators reflecting the development strategy of the company, and personal indicators which were received by the decomposition technique according to the organizational staff list put in a system. In further plans the company has an intention to develop this block, having automated calculation of these indicators, comparison of planned and actual values for specific employees.

Dmitry Shekhodanov: The assessment of the purposes in a system was carried out at the end of 2008, and at the beginning of 2009 specific indicators for all heads were formulated. It is supposed that further the developed technique will be extended to all staff of the company.

TAdviser: How, in your opinion, did crisis change demand for implementation of HRM systems?

Sergey Shishov: Certainly, crisis leaves some mark. In some companies budgets are frozen, automation development stages are postponed. However in the last decade the market definitely left towards automation of control functions by personnel, and return cannot be any more. Just the decision on implementation is now made more deliberately, according to the real needs for automation, and not so much for the purpose of increase in capitalization of the company or from need to implement a management system, following current trends of development of IT.

It is no secret that on many large enterprises crisis affected number of staff: reductions concerned including support services of some functions. In these conditions outsourcing of support of some processes, including functioning of information systems became relevant. We felt this need on the clients, especially in the banking sector. We perform service of operation of SAP ERP of HCM in several banks. It allows them to optimize costs for support of an information system, due to lack of need to have expanded staff of specialists of SAP, upon not necessary for 100% of working time.

TAdviser: How can you characterize a current status of the Russian market of HRM systems? What solutions in your opinion are not enough?

Sergey Shishov: We conducted a research among our existing and potential clients, communicated to customers on specialized actions (exhibitions, forums) and systematized results in seven main criteria on the basis of which today's customers select personnel management automation systems.

1. Simplicity and convenience about which all tell for which all wait, but in practice not always receive. Under simplicity we mean uniformity of interfaces and work with information by means of computers or, we will tell differently, terminals of an information access. It is necessary that in the company all employees had a uniform understanding of all personnel processes. It is important also that all variety of information systems, a set of points of entry were integrated in a uniform information working space and did not confuse workers. It is optional to employee to know what application needs to be started how to transfer information, for it the machine should do all this, and he surely and consistently to execute a minimum of transactions in uniform information environment. Today the companies need simple, ready interfaces, a screen working environment not to understand them, and to work.

2. Lack of excessive complexity at system implementation. In recent times implementation projects could last for 6-9 months, and some and for 12-15 months. Separate documents were implemented consistently, long were tested, improved, and all project participants morally were tired by the end of implementation. Now projects with ready campaigns, with edged methodology are necessary. Instructions of users should be simple, clear even to not too trained employees. It is waited from us by customers. Proposing the client our solution EVOLA Take-To-Run, we do not complicate its current activity: we do not distract it significantly on implementation process unless only on training which does not take a lot of time since instructions of users are rather elementary.

3. Solution of modern tasks of management of personnel potential. A modern system should not just be able to calculate salary and to keep personnel records, but also to support processes of personnel recruitment, assessment of competences, planning of career development, goal setting and measure calculation, training management, remuneration of personnel, costs planning on personnel. These processes can be listed long and though 15 years ago these functions were not relevant yet, now they are demanded by the modern enterprises.

4. Power and fast availability of means of the business analysis. Now to users not enough simple lists and charts, are necessary to them tools for carrying out the cause and effect analysis. It means that HR specialists need not just information representation in certain cuts (on age, divisions and other parameters), and identification and the analysis of influence of indicators at each other, it is important to them to understand how one indicator can affect another. For example, the analysis of reasons for leaving can reveal that leaving the company of valued employees is caused by the reduced revenues of specific division or the conflicts with someone from the management.

The next step – modeling and forecasting of changes and their cross impact at each other. Planning the number of staff (managers, specialists of different divisions) for the next half a year-years, it is possible to predict structure of wage fund and its place in the general budget of the company. It is important that these data were available to heads independently, without involvement of the subordinated employees and issue of the additional tasks requiring data manually of information from different sources that, as a rule, takes away time by it and does not guarantee lack of errors.

5. Reliability as which it is possible to understand the small number of system failures, a small amount of errors, relevance of data, their compliance to statutory requirements and that is important - to the current changes in the company. If about personnel records, a time recording and payroll calculation it is possible to tell that it is the processes which settled and are a little subject to changes, then management of personnel potential is changeable by determination. Including also requirements to analytics are changeable. Especially it is important now when to survive the companies have to look for new ways of development, new methods of motivation.

6. The price which is not high, but reasonable and comes true those measurable advantages which the customer gets as a result of acquisition and operation of the information solution.

7. An opportunity to estimate payback of a HRM system at the predicted terms. The customer, receiving a system, wants to understand that these investments give him. But he wants to know it not vaguely ("will allow to manage effectively business", "will increase efficiency"), and to receive specific interpretation – that means more effectively and more productively to heads, to employees, to the company in general.

TAdviser: What is the solution EVOLA Take-To-Run as it was created?

Sergey Shishov: The solution EVOLA Take-To-Run is developed taking into account these seven criteria based on such full information solution as SAP ERP. It is based on our experience, understanding of the market and knowledge of the legislation in the field of personnel management. This solution integrates in itself both methodology, and the software solution as today these concepts are inseparable.

Bukin: Our solution is not only software product (conditionally speaking – a disk), but also a set of documents which allow to work with this disk correctly. This description of business processes, documents, reference books, and not only for business users, but also for technical specialists who, perhaps, will support this solution, including ready instructions of users, ready descriptions of settings, technical documents.

Unfortunately, not at all Russian enterprises and not all business processes are built rather optimum. On the basis of world and own experience of SAP implementations, we offer methodologically and programmatically smoothly running processes which, according to us, will suit very wide range of the enterprises and which they will be able to use as the finished software product which is not requiring completions.

Sergey Shishov: I would like to highlight that today it is reasonable to select both methodology, and the information solution at the same time, but not to develop at first the methodology, and then to look for the solution under it. It is one of important components of success of projects of automation. In the last years to 10 us many solutions which, unfortunately, were under construction on the second way met. And then many forces and funds for that then according to developed (in details or not really) methodology to customize a system were spent. Today, as we know, all systems are developed not so much by programmers, but first of all - methodologists. Therefore customers often also should not "invent the bicycle", and they can use ready-made solutions that will allow to save both time, and money, and forces, and will not reduce the value of the implemented methodology at all.

The solution EVOLA Take-To-Run completely corresponds to seven criteria selected with us. In our solution developed on the basis of HCM SAP ERP we created the single interfaces constructed based on service technologies and provided on the Internet thanks to which the solution is convenient in operation and does not cause complexity when mastering by users. Service oriyenirovannaya the technology helps to maintain also relevance according to changes in the organization.

The solution is not simply prepared according to personnel management processes, but also contains the ready preconfigured reports for the business analysis. It not only the reporting in state bodies, but also screen forms which allow to analyze information flexibly: turn and develop by criteria, change columns and lines, to compare on time frames, to calculate key indicators, to model future changes, changing separate indicators. All this is implemented thanks to the existing SAP BI opportunities, including BusinessObjects.

As for ease and speed of deployment, we turn on detailed instructions for users in our product, the description of test scripts, the description of settings, the guides to installation. All processes are regulated on steps that will allow to avoid chaos at implementation. All this allows us to propose to the client the solution, completely ready to use.

TAdviser: Whether the solution is focused on a specific segment, the industry, number, the region (Russia)? How will the solution EVOLA Take-To-Run be developed further?

Egor Bukin: We put all features which were met in different segments of the market in our solution. The solution EVOLA Take-to-Run is universal in terms of industry segmentation. It can be used by the enterprises with any number of staff, but is focused, first of all, on medium and small business. It is connected, first of all, with the fact that large enterprises often have own vision on business processes that can demand completion of the solution in the volume comparable to classical approach to SAP implementation of ERP HCM.

In spite of the fact that the standard solution, it can be finished at the request of the client. For example, integration into terminals of access and control of working time can be performed. Our solution will be developed all the time, in the long term it will include not only modern control functions by personnel, but also adjacent processes, such as project management, work with help-desk support service. Also we will constantly update the solution according to the Russian legislation.

Regarding use service oriyentirovanoy architecture we are going to expand constantly available library (repository) of services. To change an algorithm of accomplishment of any process, the customer should not involve highly qualified specialists to develop the procedure "from scratch". Will enough use ready services and, changing them as bricks, to modify structure and the sequence of transactions.

Sergey Shishov: Now we offer clients the first version of our solution. Based on the SAP product BPM we are going to prepare the second version which will cover new processes and tasks for the end of fall. In particular, such tasks, usual and necessary for users, as information search in internal corporate network and on the Internet, management of communications (phone, e-mail, working discussions), management and work with documents, monitoring of processes and instructions will be integrated into the solution. We solve questions of simplicity and unity of information environment thanks to the SAP product Galaxy.

In addition to processes, we turn on in structure of the solution the ready preconfigured reports for carrying out the business analysis implemented on the SAP BusinessObjects platform. Such reports will allow to analyze comprehensively information, to turn and develop data, to change columns and lines, to compare, model a situation, changing separate indicators.

If necessary we are ready to deploy the solution on our own server. By the end of the year we assume to begin to provide our solution under lease. This technology (SaaS) is widely adopted in the world now, and examples of use of SAP products by this method already are. Besides, if desired the client will be able to purchase our solution in parts, modularly.

TAdviser: As far as this solution "Russian"?

Egor Bukin: The solution EVOLA Take-to-Run corresponds to the Russian legislation. In the solution all processes, typical for Russia, and forms of the reporting are considered, and we will constantly monitor relevance of the solution and its compliance to the legislation.

Sergey Shishov: The Russian specifics are rather big document flow as external (that is characteristic also of some other European countries), and internal. In the solution EVOLA Take-to-Run deniabilities from paper document flow and use of the electronic digital signature are put. As soon as legislatively this situation is finally brightened, it will be implemented in our solution thanks to SOA mechanisms.

TAdviser: How will clients be able to calculate payback of the solution?

Sergey Shishov: The price of our solution is fixed, there is a price list which allows the customer to understand the cost of the solution at once. Moreover, on the basis of methodology of measure calculation of the advantages and benefits received by the customer we developed the so-called calculator of calculation of expediency of acquisition and operation of SAP ERP of HCM + EVOLA Take-to-Run. The calculator allows to calculate positive changes in indicators of activity both HR services, and the companies in general, and even to calculate payback.

Cost reduction for the company in general is reached due to increase in productivity of activity as HR of specialists (reduction of time for the executed transactions), and other participants of business personnel management processes (line managers, workers) due to uniformity and regulation of business processes and transfer of a considerable part of transactions from the person to the computer. Reduction of time for execution of operations allows either to reduce personnel, or to reorientate specialists.

In general process performance of personnel management means acceptance of the most competent for business and the facts weighed, based on the authentic analysis, solutions on personnel recruitment, change of number, promotion, transfers, motivation, training, retraining.