Making the Move to Integral InPower HR

Integral's InPower Professional Services Program for Successful Client/Server Solutions

Integral's InPower HR, a second-generation client/server Human Resource Management System, delivers a new level of business functionality to address the unique and complex needs of medium to large businesses, government agencies and educational organizations. InPower HR goes far beyond what has been available from traditional mainframe-based alternatives by separating business rules from the program code and by providing adaptable business event processing, presentation and user work flow. It achieves these breakthroughs while also solving the performance and implementation problems hampering early client/server applications. As a result, InPower HR empowers organizations and individuals to be more efficient, responsive and informed by enabling them to easily adapt their applications to real-world events.

But the road to client/server computing is not always a smooth one. Life in the secure "glass house" of the mainframe world was much simpler: one vendor provided all the hardware, the operating system, the data base and the support. Everything worked together well because all the components came from the same place.

In the new world of client/server computing, however, there are likely to be computers, peripherals, networking equipment and other hardware from several vendors, server and client operating systems from several others, data bases from others, and applications from still other vendors. But equally important, the move to client/server computing adds an extra layer of complexity because not only is the technology changing, but the organization also is fundamentally changing the way it does business.

Integral is committed to helping its customers succeed in making the change from their mainframe- and midrange-based human resource management systems to InPower HR. To accomplish this goal, Integral's Professional Services Program offers the InPower family of implementation and conversion services and tools specifically tailored to guide organizations through the often complex process of migrating to client/server platforms. Integral's InPower services and tools provide not only the technical support required for a successful implementation, but also the assistance to ensure the successful accomplishment of new business processes.

Each InPower service program addresses a particular phase of the migration process, from discovery and design through construction to systems-level and parallel testing and final production. In addition, Integral's supplemental InPower services meet the specific needs of organizations wishing to maintain their current mainframe- or midrange-based payroll system and link it to InPower HR.

Whether a customer is migrating to Integral's InPower HR 2.0 from an earlier mainframe- or midrange-based Integral product, InPower 1.1 or another vendor's HR system, Integral's broad range of InPower services and tools -- from consulting and analysis to turnkey implementations -- will aid in the changeover. Just as important, Integral has the expertise and experience required to accomplish the migration easier, faster and with less risk to the organization.

Comprehensive InPower Service Packages

Migrating from a mainframe- or midrange-based HR system to a client/server solution requires careful planning, preferably with the assistance of professionals experienced not only in the technology, but in the issues of business process reengineering. Integral's professionals can help guide an organization around the land mines and over the obstacles sure to confront any new client/server implementation.

Some of the important project considerations addressed by Integral's InPower family of services are:

Integral's InPower service packages offer the supplemental resources organizations need during critical phases of the conversion process, and lay a solid foundation to successfully implement and utilize a client/server application. In addition, Integral continues to offer its comprehensive array of systems integration consulting services, implementation support services and project management services.

Pre-Implementation Analysis

A prerequisite for organizations wanting Integral to play a significant role in application implementation, the Pre-Implementation Analysis is a very directed attempt at sizing the implementation effort. The Pre-Implementation Analysis provides a snapshot of what will be needed to bring the critical functionality desired from InPower HR into production by a specified date by assessing an organization's high-level requirements, timeline and capabilities, and presenting these findings in a detailed proposal for consulting services.

The detailed proposal could also serve as a vehicle for self management of the project, if desired, and includes:

After an organization submits key information to Integral, it is reviewed in detail and followed up by a two- to three-day on-site visit to review and assess its requirements, staffing and capabilities. Within two weeks of the on-site visit, a draft proposal is presented for review and discussion, after which a final proposal is presented.

Launch Package

Integral is committed to ensuring that every customer has the proper foundation from which to launch their client/server implementation. Integral's Launch Package, the minimum service recommended for every InPower HR customer, is designed to do just that.

The Launch Package provides immediate reinforcement of Integral's basic InPower training course through actual product installation, hands-on workshops and other educational activities geared to tailoring the product to meet each customer's specific needs. Typically occurring near the project start, the Launch Package ensures that the base client/server system is up and running and that InPower HR is successfully installed, and it provides the degree of familiarization with InPower HR necessary for an organization to be able to move ahead with its changeover.

Integral's Launch Package takes place within the first 30 to 45 days of the project's inception, and comprises the following components and deliverables:

Impact Analysis

Integral's Impact Analysis provides an invaluable independent analysis of all activities occurring during the discovery phase of an organization's migration program to help it avoid the pitfalls that might otherwise lie ahead. Typically occurring within the first 60 days of the project's inception, the Impact Analysis provides organizations with the critical project assessment they need to undertake their conversion, offering the "reality check" Integral can provide. The Impact Analysis also includes all the components of the Launch Package, and establishes an essential milestone for moving a project forward.

The Impact Analysis lets an organization build on Integral's experience in client/server installations to take a critical look at it's ability to be successful. Integral's trained professionals review all projections to assure they are accurate and reasonable based on Integral's experience, and help quantify the scope, assess business requirements, examine data conversion issues and determine how several factors can impact the timeline. They also pinpoint any items that may be missing from an organization's assessment.

Among the questions addressed in the Impact Analysis report Integral delivers are:

The results of the Impact Analysis are compared with the organization's assessment, and then reviewed with the customer.

Quick Start

Some organizations may have sufficient resources to execute the implementation of a migration to InPower HR, but require additional planning assistance to initially get a project off the ground. Integral's Quick Start package offers extensive planning and support services during the initial discovery and design phases of an organization's migration to InPower HR.

The Quick Start package first examines the project with a comprehensive Impact Analysis, and then based on those findings delivers a detailed blueprint for implementing InPower, including:

The Quick Start Package also provides all the InPower HR training and content of the Launch Package.

With the foundation firmly in place, an organization is then well positioned to execute the plan using its own resources. Organizations are assured that the blueprint Integral delivers can be accomplished because it is based on realistic information discovered during the Impact Analysis.

Critical Success

Rapidly implementing a critical component of an organization's HR business requirements demands a rapid response. Providing the resources and project management oversight needed to get that critical InPower HR functionality up and running quickly is the objective of Integral's Critical Success package.

With the Critical Success package, Integral's team of professionals, headed by an experienced project manager, take on a significant role in getting the most critical functionality into production rapidly. Encompassing all aspects of the Launch Package and Impact Analysis, the Critical Success package provides a level of involvement specifically tailored to an organization's needs that goes well beyond the initial discovery and design phases of implementation. Focusing on specific production goals, this involvement may range from a basic project management oversight role to a much more active participation in the actual construction and testing of the system, including writing interfaces, performing data conversions, building forms and writing custom training programs.

Specific areas of responsibility and duties may include:

Because of the substantial commitment and responsibility Integral is taking for accomplishing critical success, the Critical Success package is contingent upon an organization's first acquiring Integral's Pre-Implementation Analysis, which provides a baseline for overall project scope, timing and costs presented in a detailed proposal for consulting services.

InPower Data Migration Tools

To complement its family of InPower migration support services, Integral's Professional Services also offers tools and utilities to aid in the data conversion process. These include: Data from Integral's current mainframe HRMS 9.3.x and Midrange HRMS 5.0 will be able to be converted to InPower HR (v 2.0) through a data conversion process. Of course, in cases where the data set is small, it may be more efficient to convert the data by manually reentering it. Data from earlier Integral systems can be converted by first using Integral's standard mainframe conversion utility to put the data into 9.3 format, and then converting again to InPower HR (v 2.0) format.

InPower Professional Services

Integral's Professional Services can help tackle the complex technology, business process reengineering and project management facets of migrating to a client/server environment. From basic product orientation and training to full service implementations, Integral's pre-packaged InPower service offerings and tools make the process run more smoothly and with fewer surprises. Whether an organization has the resources and expertise to proceed on their own or needs Integral to assume a much greater role in achieving critical-need functionality, Integral's Professional Services Program helps assure a successful conclusion.

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