Digital Technologies and Platforms (DPTs) (Websoft HCM (formerly WebTutor))

2025: Evaluation Automation: What to Choose - Boxed Solution or Custom Development?

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Фото: Websoft

Tells Shalomovich Anna, Digital Technologies and Platforms LLC

About the Company

Digital technologies and platforms are a Russian developer of digital solutions and products for industry. This is a dedicated IT division of the group of companies, which includes energy, mining and chemical companies. There are one and a half thousand people in the state, and in total in the group - more than 40,000.

Our teams create applications and tools for the comfortable operation of thermal power plants, develop digital sensors and analyzers, launch intelligent assistants for chemical industries that create fertilizers for the whole world.

What are you faced with?

There was no clear, understandable, transparent KPI assessment process. KPI cards were filled out in Excel, collected and agreed in the mail. We lost files, could not check the relevance of information and the fidelity of approvals.

It was necessary to start a new KPI assessment process in production for 3 months (from the moment of collection of requirements until commissioning). The system with boxed functionality was bought at the end of the year, and the KPI assessment process must be launched at the beginning of February next year.

There was no full implementation team. From the IT side, one analyst (new employee) was allocated for the KPI process without the knowledge of Websoft HCM, there was no developer at the project implementation stage - at the very beginning we could not finalize something on our own.

Project milestones

What did we do to start on time?

November-December

• Step 1. Formed HR KPI Process Working Group.
• Step 2. The KPI assessment process was built in the working group. The basis was taken by the classical scheme, in which the approvers are the immediate supervisor, functional and higher.
• Step 3. Created functional requirements for the implementation of KPI assessment in the system.
• Step 4. At the same time, we studied the capabilities of the boxed KPI application, taking into account the emerging requirements - a special thank you to the Websoft warranty support service, which helped and answered a lot of our requests.

At this stage, we received:

• Formalized KPI assessment process and functional requirements
• Understand how the application works with the Customer in mind
• First demos for Customer

January

• Step 1. We made a complete configuration of the application according to the Customer's requirements - according to the results of the previous stage, we already had a formalized process, and we knew what was needed.
• Step 2. We conducted a series of demos on the KPI assessment process.
• Step 3. The KPI evaluation process and system settings were adjusted based on the results of the impressions.
• Step 4. We held a demo show for HRD.

At this stage, we received:

• Fully configured process based on Customer's requirements.
• A backlog of 50 + high and critical priority improvements that HR formed at demonstrations of the configured process and without which it was considered impossible to launch into the product. It was about adding this or that report, notification, indication. Where we could adjust the process using boxed settings (not modifications), they corrected, but they could not satisfy all the wishes at this stage.

Here we approached the fork, and it was necessary to make a decision: we continue with a boxed solution or are we waiting for all the improvements and only then start?

At that moment there were doubts, but we decided that we were moving on with a boxed decision: it was important for us to get the result in a very short time.

If we took a different path and waited for improvements, the process and requirements would change. By the time of implementation, these improvements would most likely have become outdated.

February

• Step 1. We made all the final settings of the application, provided access, loaded employees - participants in the KPI assessment.
• Step 2. Generated instructions for HR and end users.
• Step 3. Conducted user training together with HR: managers and employees.

All training was undertaken by HR employees, it was important for us - they talked about the methodology, in detail about the entire process, tried to remove all the questions that users have. And additionally, colleagues in IT showed how to enter, which buttons work.

At this stage, we received:

• Starting the entire process out of the box, you no longer had to send excel files, check them again, now everything is in the system, everything is at hand.
• An understandable and transparent process for all participants.
• Formation of process understanding and rejection of 70% of modifications from the backlog. Interestingly, in the end, when people themselves worked in the system, we abandoned most of the improvements that we received from the first screenings. It turned out that many needs were either closed by some functionality inside the system, or generally lost their relevance. This is a significant plus, we received very good reviews from users.

We made the right decision when we chose the implementation of the process on the box - we immediately got the result. From planning to entering the product, 3 months have passed. It was not easy, but we coped.

Rework - after starting

Yes, we started with the box, but, of course, we cannot do without improvements. We have a developer in our project, and we began to delight our users with new features.

User Revision TOP-5

1. Mass adjustment of KPI map approval routes

We have a mobile administrative structure that undergoes frequent changes.

What happened:

• Concurring managers are not always administrative
• Frequent changes in organizational structure
• Transfer the responsibility of direct managers to their deputies
• Firing executives without a new replacement
• A lot of time for manual single adjustments in the cards themselves

We made it possible to filter and see all KPI cards by choosing the name of the expert. Where he acts as a leader, we can quickly replace the data.

As a result:

• Operational adjustment of KPI map approval routes
• Reduction of time for KPI cards approval

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Фото: Websoft

2. Change of KPI map type in the Appendix

What happened:

• There is no information about the position of the employee in which the card is formed, since the employee can have several cards for the period
• It is not possible to quickly view the planned and actual values ​ ​ in the appendix (without uploading the report), as well as general calculated values
• It is not possible to unload the printed form of the KPI map in the application
• It is not possible to view the history of actions (KPI card status changes)
• A lot of delegations to see maps on the portal

What they did:

1. When employees are transferred from one position to another, they can also migrate between legal entities. When a person is transferred to another legal entity, they create a new card for another position. If the employee remains in the same legal entity during the transfer, the KPI card may remain the same. We made it so that HR can add positions in the map on its own, in the event that the employee still has the same card when transferring to another position.
2. In the boxed version, we lacked the display of full actual results for indicators - with performance and weighted assessment, as well as the final result for the map itself, we added this.
3. We made it so that HR sees an analogue of what the employee who filled out the map on the portal sees, without delegation and uploading additional reports.
4. Added code - to understand whether the map is formed from the indicators of the directory. If from, the code will be displayed.
5. Added a history of KPI map changes, as well as a history of moving through the stages.

As a result:

• KPI Map promptly provides answers to questions that HR has without uploading the report
• Status change history is always available
• Integrity of data on the map that HR sees in the application, as well as the employee in the portal
• Record the history of changes to the map (including the KPIs themselves) in case of disputes with employees or managers

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Фото: Websoft

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Фото: Websoft

3. List of KPI cards in the manager's office

What happened:

• The leaders were confused with which cards they needed to do something, and with which they did not
• After the approval of the card, the managers did not see the card of their subordinates and constantly asked HR about them
• Managers did not see the overall picture with KPI maps of their subordinate employees (who, at what stage, what results)
• There was no understanding why the map was not agreed for so long and which of the leaders had it for approval

We have made a list of KPI cards in the manager's office indicating the necessary actions.

As a result:

• Simple and understandable office of the manager
• The KPI map of subordinate employees is always available
• Indication of cards that are waiting for action from the manager
• Reduce workload with HR by self-working managers in the office
• Self-control of process managers in case of delays in approval of maps

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Фото: Websoft

4. Automatic reminder of KPI card actions

What happened:

• Continuous reminder to HR managers and employees to complete or approve KPIs
• Additional Checks and Controls through Reports or System View
• Time to track and inform process participants manually

We have made a reminder agent - we set up mailings according to the selected procedure (the company may have not one assessment procedure, but several) and a specific document flow stage.

As a result:

• Reduce tracking and control time
• Timely completion and approval of KPI maps by participants, reduction of time at the stages of preparation and summing up
• Additional checks and controls only if necessary

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Фото: Websoft

5. KPI Card Statistics

What happened:

• Ongoing management requests for KPI formulation and evaluation process. "Show the big picture by business unit in 5 minutes"
• Significant time spent by HR to collect statistics based on current reports by subdivisions of different levels and functional units

We have made a printed form that allows you to provide statistics at any time, in a couple of minutes, you no longer need to collect any summary reports in excel.

As a result:

• Generation of statistics in 5 minutes in the required section
• Reduce time spent collecting statistics
• Additional Source of Process Tracking and Control

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Фото: Websoft

Results

So, summing up, we can say that we launched KPIs using a box - this is possible, and after the launch we made some improvements. We already have a great example in the holding: an HR employee on his own, one supports the process for one and a half thousand people, using the box and our improvements. At the same time, it does it without abral, without reworking, and it warms the soul.

Development plans

As a direction of development for the current year, we took the redesign of the assessment player. The process has settled, is working, now there is an opportunity to make friendly, understandable, modern and attractive, including for our young employees. We have already started this work:

• We divided the KPI map into stages, registered those responsible for a specific stage
• Left the opportunity to see the instructions, users noted their convenience
• When choosing KPIs from the reference book, we added the display of indicator groups
• Added detailed key figure description, calculation algorithm, units and data sources for calculation
• Added the ability to specify the weight for translating tasks to subordinates, when creating a measure, the weight can be adjusted and then see how the measure was distributed to the selected subordinates
• At the summing up, the value "fact" was derived, which reminds that you need to fill in this data

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Фото: Websoft

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Фото: Websoft

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Фото: Websoft

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Фото: Websoft