When you’re implementing UKG, you’re going to be asked a lot of questions.
How do you want your payroll process to work? How should timekeeping be configured? What happens when somebody requests time off?
And that’s fine. We need to understand what the customer wants before configuring the solution.
But here’s the challenge. What if the customer doesn’t actually know what the options are?
I’ve seen situations where an implementation partner gives the customer a spreadsheet and says, “Fill this in with your requirements.”
That might save a few hours. But does the customer really know what to put in that spreadsheet?
So, what should organisations be looking for when it comes to implementation guidance? From my experience, there are four things worth considering.
Understanding what’s possible with UKG
Let’s take something as simple as a time-off request.
You ask the customer how they want their approval process to work.
But maybe they don’t know that multiple levels of approval are possible. Maybe they haven’t considered the different ways that process could be configured.
So how are they supposed to tell you what they want?
They understand their business. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they understand everything UKG can do.
Taking the time to make informed decisions
Implementation projects have timelines and budgets. Everybody wants to be efficient.
I could spend time with a customer, explain their options and help them complete their requirements document.
Or I could simply send them a spreadsheet and ask them to fill it in themselves.
The second option saves time.
But what happens if the customer doesn’t know how to answer those questions?
They make their best guess.
And that can create a poor experience and potentially a solution that doesn’t fully reflect their requirements.
Getting guidance, not just configuration
For me, this is where consulting becomes important.
It’s not just about asking customers how they want their payroll, timekeeping or approval processes to work and then configuring UKG accordingly.
It’s about helping them understand what the platform can do and how those capabilities relate to their business.
You can’t expect somebody to make an informed decision about options they don’t know exist.
Involving your future UKG support team
There’s another challenge I’ve seen.
Sometimes the people expected to support UKG are brought in just weeks before go-live.
They weren’t involved in design or testing. Suddenly, they’re responsible for a solution without understanding why certain decisions were made.
That’s why involving future application owners during implementation matters.
Are you getting enough guidance?
Are you being shown the options available? Do you understand why certain configuration decisions are being made? Is your future support team involved?
Because there’s a difference between delivering a configured solution and helping customers understand how that solution should work for their business.
And for me, that’s where good consulting makes the difference.