Configuration, Workflows & Data
How long should an implementation take?
4-12 weeks depending on how much systems, process, and structure are defined or not defined. Most implementations take around 4-6 weeks.
How long does the average implementation take?
Implementation can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks depending on data readiness, process & workflow complexity, and customer timelines/priorities. For a quick and successful implementation, we recommend a point of contact from Recruiting, HR, and FP&A.
Describe your implementation process (phases, duration, resource requirements).
Implementation can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks depending on data readiness, process & workflow complexity, and customer timelines/priorities. Phases include:
- Prep & Kickoff
- Connect Systems
- Configuration & Workflows
- Acceptance Testing
- Training & Go-Live
What does the implementation roadmap look like?
Phases include:
- Prep & Kickoff
- Connect Systems
- Configuration & Workflows
- Acceptance Testing
- Training & Go-Live: For a quick and successful implementation, we recommend a point of contact from Recruiting, HR, and FP&A.
How long will it take to complete all the prep work?
This depends on how much of the prep work is already designed or if you need to design some of the prep work. Generally, it could take anywhere from an hour to a few hours to gather all data and specific items from stakeholders.
Who do I need to involve based on this prep work?
Generally speaking someone who owns the ATS and HRIS data/systems and someone from Finance for the Hiring Plan.
Which internal departments need to be involved?
We recommend a point of contact from Recruiting, HR, and FP&A and someone from IT for the SSO setup.
Who should be our "Executive Sponsor"?
A person who has the authority to make decisions and changes resulting in roadblocks being removed. For example, if the HRIS is reluctant to share some HRIS data required in HC365 for functionality, this Executive Sponsor is able to make the decision and enable the data to be shared with HC365.
What is the weekly time commitment for our internal project team & project lead?
Roughly 60 minutes of meeting time and some additional time (typically 30~45 minutes) to complete action items or gather required data for implementation.
How do we communicate implementation across each step in the sales and implementation process?
- During Sales we will conduct an implementation assessment to understand how simple or complex it will be.
- After the implementation assessment, we will provide an approach document tailored specifically to you detailing approach, timelines, key dependencies and risk mitigations.
- Once the contract is signed, we will provide a document with prep work to gather by the kickoff meeting. This prep work will expedite the implementation.
What might result in delays of implementations?
Implementation speed is most often impacted by customer decision timelines, availability of technical teams, and deliberations on process. Blockers out of our control are:
- Aligned Corporate Taxonomy: Requires matching taxonomy across HRIS and ATS.
- IT Blockers: SSO or integration keys are required.
- Data Quality: Multiple sources of truth or user email inconsistency.
- Process Deliberations: Decisions on processes for all actions must be made swiftly.
- Scheduling for UAT & Training: Schedules of involved parties should be aligned ahead of time.
- Training Availability: End user availability may impact transition.
What’s involved on my end with both services options?
- CSM Guided Support: We have an implementation project plan that a CSM will work with you on completing. It’s a combination of you and the CSM configuring the system together during regular meetings and async.
- Full Service Project Manager: We will handle configuring the system and actioning all tasks in the implementation project plan. What we require of you is gathering the information needed for the Project Manager to configure the system.
Is this a 'white-glove' implementation or self-serve?
You determine which type of implementation service you prefer. There is a cost involved in the white glove implementation service:
- CSM Guided Support: Configuration is done together with a CSM.
- Full Service Project Manager: We handle the system configuration for you while you provide the necessary data and workflows.
Who typically manages implementation (vendor PM vs. client PM)?
That depends, we have several offerings including support from a CSM or the CSM will project manage the implementation for you.
What’s involved in creating request forms?
There is basic information already set up in the New & Backfill requests forms. For Greenhouse, after importing Custom Fields they will appear in a custom fields section. For other ATS systems, we can use Merge to pull in the custom fields as well.
What’s involved in creating Workflows?
Workflows define who needs to review & approve requests. Once criteria and approvers are identified, setup is quick. If you have an approval workflow already designed, we can assist with configuring that within HC365, including criteria and approval steps.
Can we customize the approval workflows to match our current internal 'Headcount Request' process?
Yes, your request and headcount process is flexible based on your current processes or desired processes. We have very customizable workflow criteria, required fields and skip approval functionality.
Can the workflow handle 'Internal Transfers' and 'Reorgs' without double counting?
Yes, we have several options for setting up processes for internal transfers & Reorgs. The system is flexible to be configured to align to your processes & Workflows.
How do we handle our historical headcount data?
It depends on if you want the starting point to be this current year or if you want historical plan years included. Adding historical plan years could increase implementation timelines because we have to ensure the Hiring Plan is loaded and reconciled properly for the prior year.
What is involved in a data parity Audit?
It’s ensuring the fields and value selections are the same across systems, otherwise we have to map the fields on the back end of the system or update the field selections across systems to match.
What if we don’t have all the Prep Data ready for implementation kickoff?
We can still kick-off and collect the prep material or design anything not put together during the implementation; this might increase the number of days to go-live.
What if we don’t use Req IDs on our hiring plan?
You can use the auto generated number created in HC365 if you don’t have a unique ID for each position in your current hiring plan.
Does the implementation include 'Recruiting Capacity' modeling?
Yes, we have built in capacity reporting in HC365 as well as versions in google sheets using HC365 data.
How do you handle 'Mid-Year' plan changes or re-forecasts?
We can assist you with doing a bulk update for a large number of changes or reforecasts. Share the changes with us and we will quickly bulk update the requisitions in HC365.
What types of reporting are available out of the box?
We have several dashboards and reports out of the box including: unified headcount and unified headcount finance dashboard, Finance and Talent Dashboards, Prioritization, Recruiting Workload, Recruiting Forecasts (Capacity & Demand), Org Charts, Recruiting Time reporting, Recruiter 1:1 reports, Spending Annualized/In-Year/Month over Month, Req and settings Change Logs, Elevated Permissions reports, and privileged users reports. We also have Google Sheet templates.
What does a successful implementation look like?
By the end of this journey, the partner feels comfortable and confident. They aren't just using a tool; they are operating on a foundation built by practitioners from the world’s most successful companies. They have the insights they need for strategic planning, and a dedicated team ensuring that foundation never cracks as they scale.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your CSM or email support@headcount365.com.