LawsonGuru Blog
Thought-Provoking Commentary for the Lawson Software Community
Should We Keep Lawson?
Posted by on January 4, 2008
It’s an interesting dilemma. A Lawson client asked me why they should continue to use Lawson for their HR software. While they use for Lawson for Financials, they really don’t utilize much of the HR suite:
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Payroll has always been outsourced to ADP and a number of interfaces integrate demographic data and financial transactions. Benefit & Leave Administration (and Time Entry for that matter) could easily be transferred to ADP. ADP already handles self-service for W2s and paystubs, etc.
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Time Accrual didn’t meet their needs; while they’re sure Absence Management will, it’s not enough of a “killer app” to persuade them to keep Lawson.
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They’ve tired of the dance Lawson does around recruitment and applicants, and have settled on a third-party solution.
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Learning Management is non-existent (no, the TR system code doesn’t count).
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Performance Management? Well, maybe.
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Talent Management doesn’t exist yet, except as a design document.
That doesn’t leave much for Lawson, and for what remains, it will require a huge spaghetti bowl of interfaces….and I really don’t have an good answer. I’d say the primary benefit is that HR/PA (used properly) gives you the structure for administrating HR and benefits, via personnel actions and a (hopefully) well-defined approval process. Other than that, well…
I think many clients haven’t implemented the HR Suite (including SEA and Process Flows) to automate much of their system. I call it the giving birth syndrome where after the baby…they take it easy for a while and never get to “Phase 2”. By implementing Self Service (Minimum should be Manager) and by utilizing Position Management & Budgeting, the Applicant Tracking Module (most likely without e-Recruiting) and utilizing Personnel Actions – all with integration via Process Flows – there is quite a decent system with adequate reporting tools and reports. Couple it with MS Add-Ins and it can utilize interfaces from 3rd parties well, if that is the way you want to go. Is it perfect – is anything perfect?