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During 2008-09, NHS organisations deploying ESR (an ORACLE-based human resources and payroll solution) worked to address early challenges with initial deployment.

Most are now in the process of refining practice to gain benefits and many are at the early stages of planning to deploy self-service.

Organisations should not dismiss lightly the effort needed to address stakeholder concerns and revise business processes when implementing self service. Nor should the ongoing challenges of systems management, user administration and support be ignored.

It is possible, though, to address these challenges effectively and there are some large prizes availble for those who do so successfully. Read the rest of this entry →

The Electronic Staff Record, an Oracle-based integrated HR and Payroll solution, was implemented across the NHS as an enabling “service solution” for transactional processes and business intelligence for corporate teams.

The ESR solution, an integrated database supporting needs of all corporate functions, has the potential to become an immensely powerful corporate information tool.

While the project should be seen as a rare example of a successful, large scale, public sector IT project, it is important to recognise many people consider there are features of the system which remain flawed, cumbersome or tricky for end users. This is true of many, if not all, IT solutions. Read the rest of this entry →

The HR Director of a Special Health Authoritycontacted Attractor to help resolve problems between the organisation and its outsourced payroll service. Payment errors were experienced by many employees and confidence in the service (and management) were being undermined.

The HR Director, recently joining the organisation, needed an independent view on the cause of the problems and the range of viable solutions.

Attractor agreed to respond quickly and assist the organisation to understand and address the issues, helping to build the confidence of employees and their representatives the problems were recognised and being efffectively addressed. Read the rest of this entry →

Attractor can assist the conception of a clear project brief to guide and support effective decision-making during project implementation. You will be able to communicate specific and measurable benefits targets and expectations upon which success can be judged.

The resulting benefits planning framework can help you avoid the fate of many projects – which fail to deliver results because the changes required to achieve the results are not recognised or effectively addressed.

Attractor can ensure you are clear how your significant investment of time, effort and money to complete a project will generate the improvements and changes you anticipate.

Attractor has worked with clients to focus attention on and deliver benefits such as -

• efficiency and financial savings,
• reducing waste and duplication of effort,
• higher quality service delivery,
• increased speed of responsem and reduced transactional cycle times,
• better business information and intelligence,
• improved customer service and satisfaction.

When all the jigsaw pieces seem in place, still organisations often cannot deliver what is expected. Clearly, while people may be your most important asset, you know they are also the single most unpredictable element in the organization.

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Technical issues commonly, understandably perhaps, dominate project work and discussion. This can be very negative if it reduces the space and time required to effectively address change.

Change is the purpose of the vast majority projects!

Marrying PRINCE project management methodologies with whole systems thinking, Attractor can help you engage important stakeholders.

 Effective engagement can strengthen their participation and contribution, buildng support and identifying real challenges as you build solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.

Attractor has a track record of delivering new teams, improved working practices and modern IT systems for workforce management, human resources and payroll operations.

With extensive experience within the National Health Service, Attractor can help you navigate political challenges, clarify your priorities, identify opportunities to deliver improved business outcomes, higher levels of efficiency and reduced costs.

Attractor has particular expertise and experience with ESR (Electronic Staff Record), the ORACLE-based integrated HR and Payroll system used across the NHS and can support organisations that -

• are unsure how to use the system effectively in their business context,
• are keen to realise benefits but unclear where or how to start,
• want to progress to implement new functionality – usch as self service, OLM, or interfaces

Ensuring key business results and governance issues are address during the planning and deployment phase, Attractor will support you reviewing business processes, introducing new ways of working, managing the transition for teams and selecting appropriate performance measures and benchmarks.

The new Director of Workforce of an acute teaching hospital in London invited Attractor Consulting Limited to provide an external review of the business case, implementation approach and organisational readiness for ESR self service. The trust had completed pilot work but wanted to ensure governance arrangements were robust, systems dependencies were clear and benefits plans were comprehensive.

Attractor’s review confirmed that implementation preparations had been well-handled and business processes had been designed in a manner that would suit the features of ESR self service. It highlighted the need to ensure the strategy; vision and ownership for ESR were clear and coherent and address a number of specific operational and strategic business risks related to issues such as –

• human resources engagement
• benefits delivery
• cultural change for managers and human resources

 The review provided significant assurance on governance, implementation and organisational readiness, which were well-advanced. Attractor was able to identify additional benefits, some cash releasing, that ESR self service would enable.

Work to reorganise HR and Payroll operations within an NHS trust involved collating information to assess transactional work in recruitment, contractual and personal changes, terminations, payroll and expenses work, plus enquiry-handling.

Using a model of the transactional workload, Attractor was able to demonstrate the staffing needs of various working models and provide a fully-costed organisational structures fo consideration. This analysis supported decisions by Trust management on a new structure which would deliver effective outcomes while also delivering future efficiencies for the organisation.

A trust was experiencing problems with internal HR and Payroll operations, manifested by poor data quality, performance problems and payment errors. The Deputy Director of Human Resources invited Attractor to examine the department and make recommendations for change and improvement.

Attractor uncovered problems with team priorities – driving inappropriate work practices, timing of routines and tasks – plus unexplained variations in working method and business process. The department had, for some time, endured a history of fragile management practice with negligible investment in training and development of team members, resulting in low skill levels – all exacerbating the problems identified.

Attractor worked with new service managers to develop and communicate an service development plan incorporating actions on teams, tasks and individuals designed to address all identified weaknesses.

An acute hospital foundation trust asked Attaractor to deliver a facilitated review of structures, roles and responsibilities within the Employment Services function, and review key audit and other business control objectives.

A secondary focus of activity would review and “sense-check” business processes within Employment Services, Learning and Development, Payroll and Finance; exploring problems and their causes, identifying workable, practical solutions.
Read the rest of this entry →