💡Production employees often do not work at a computer screen on a full-time basis. A computer, a personal email address, or a smartphone are not necessarily available to them. At the same time, training sessions cannot simply be squeezed into a tightly scheduled shift or production workflow. Variations in prior digital experience and language barriers further complicate matters.
This changes the central question of an implementation project. It’s not just, “What features do we need?” but also, “How does the change reach people where they work, and what do they need to be able to use the system in their day-to-day work?” For HR processes related to mandatory training, certifications, or personal compensation records, data protection, compliance, and security requirements come into play as well.
Roundtable insights: Usage must be possible in everyday work
Understand the production context early on: Shifts , devices, available learning time, and existing workflows must be factored into the planning—not just added to the go-live checklist.
Consider access and empowerment together: Clearinstructions are only helpful if employees can access the system and have time to try it out.
Involve managers and key users: Shift supervisors and local points of contact translate the change into the specific work context and provide guidance when questions arise.
Define governance and success criteria early on: Responsibilities, support channels, and key metrics should be clarified during the initialization phase.
Continue to provide support after go-live: Usage data , support requests, and feedback from the plants reveal where obstacles exist and what support needs to be refined.
This also clarifies the role of change management: It does more than simply communicate a change. Together with the project team, leadership, and the HR team, it creates the conditions necessary for new processes to be understood, practiced, and permanently integrated into daily work.
This is a helpful framework—it is not a rigid process, and depending on the system and rollout, the phases may overlap or repeat.
The first step is to understand the target state and the impact on different roles. Which employee groups are affected? What devices and access options are available? How do training and support fit into shift schedules? Which processes and responsibilities will change?
🚀Involve plant and shift managers, People & Culture, IT, employee representatives, and selected employees early on. Also determine who will answer questions, which usage metrics will be monitored, and how you’ll incorporate feedback from the sites back into the project. This transforms a centrally planned rollout into an initiative that takes local conditions into account.
General system tours are often insufficient in a production environment. Training should focus on the tasks that employees actually have to perform. Short learning modules, visual guides, multilingual information, and opportunities to test the system can make the transition easier—provided they’re tailored to the target audience, the devices, and the realities of daily shift work.
🚀 Pilot groups and key users help identify obstacles before a broad rollout. Plan for accessible support during the rollout and give employees the opportunity to practice typical tasks hands-on. The crucial question is not merely whether training took place, but whether employees subsequently know how to carry out the next step on their own.
The go-live is not the end point. Only during ongoing operations does it become clear whether access works, instructions are understandable, and the new processes remain compatible with production. Regularly analyze usage and support data and supplement it with brief feedback from the teams. For example, if questions about access are frequent or certain features remain unused, you should investigate the cause.
🚀 Clear responsibilities, regular communication, and reliable support help prevent a relapse into parallel paper-based or manual processes. Change thus becomes an ongoing task: observe, learn, and improve support where it’s needed.
The roundtable examined two typical HR software scenarios: the implementation of a learning management system for mandatory training in production and access to personal compensation records via a digital personnel file.
➡️ With the LMS, mandatory training must fit into the daily work routine. This requires appropriate learning options, realistic time slots, and support that actually reaches employees on the factory floor.
➡️ For a digital personnel file, easy-to-understand access methods, clearly defined permissions, and assistance with common questions—such as those regarding login—are essential.
➡️ In both cases, technical implementation alone is not the deciding factor. What matters most is whether employees understand the benefits, can gain access, and are able to use the system effectively.
💡 The checklist is a starting point: Priorities and measures should be tailored to the system, target groups, and operational conditions.
💡 If you’re looking for support with your own project, you can find more information about our services here:
↗️ Change management consulting
Change management supports the changes that new HR software brings for employees, managers, and processes. It ensures that those affected understand what is changing, receive the necessary skills and access, and can use the system in their day-to-day work.
First, the project should determine what on-site access points are actually available and when employees can use them. Based on this, appropriate communication and training formats can be planned—for example, short visual guides, suitable devices, practice opportunities, and accessible points of contact. A solution should not require all employees to use email or a personal computer on a permanent basis.
First, determine whether an individual email address is actually required for the specific process or whether, for example, an employee ID or another authorized form of access is sufficient. If email addresses are needed, People & Culture and IT should jointly evaluate which secure and cost-effective solution is appropriate.
Here’s an anonymized real-world example from an organization with many employees who do not have their own computers: HR and IT evaluated a solution outside the Microsoft environment and provided individual email addresses via a separate email server. The setup on mobile phones took place directly as part of the LMS training sessions. Before implementation, factors such as data protection, information security, responsibilities, support, and applicable device and access policies should be reviewed.
In addition to the technical go-live, actual usage and the impact on processes are relevant. For example, companies can monitor activation and usage rates, timely completion of mandatory training, support requests, and feedback from various locations. Which metrics are useful depends on the system, the objectives, and the specific process.
They should examine the underlying causes in day-to-day operations: Are access and support functioning properly? Do the process and system align with workflows? Can employees perform their tasks confidently? Clear responsibilities, accessible support, and continuous feedback help break down barriers and solidify new routines.
Whether you’re planning to implement HR software in a production environment or are already in the midst of implementation: The roundtable demonstrated how important it is to discuss real-world challenges and practical solutions. Access, training time, and on-site support aren’t side issues—they play a key role in determining whether the change takes hold in day-to-day work.
You don’t need a perfect overall model to achieve this. What matters is starting with specific working conditions, involving affected employees, and testing the next step on a small scale. Feedback after the go-live will show what works and where you can make adjustments.
Do you have questions about the roundtable findings, or would you like to integrate change management into your HR software implementation?
We look forward to hearing from you—feel free to contact us directly!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who enriched the roundtable with their questions and perspectives. This has once again demonstrated howPeople & Tech work together to enable sustainable business success .