If there was ever a more public HR Technology debacle, my poor public schooling in history is drawing a blank. When the Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, and President Obama are publicly giving interviews about website malfunctions, I think we can officially declare the low-point for Benefits Administration.
I don’t think there is a single HR Tech vendor or employer client who is shocked by the revelations arriving from Washington, DC. Anyone who has attempted to move the mountain of automating annual enrollment knows how complex that process can be and how delicate technology can be. Can you imagine being the poor slob who is project managing this go-live event (and clean-up)? There is not enough Johnny Walker in the world to ease that pain.
But if we’re witnesses to this particularly cruel history, let’s at least look to learn some valuable lessons:
1) Demand the best implementation teams – and check references
During an interview with CNN, Sebelius said “We (had) hoped that they had their ‘A-team’ on the table” from the start. As anyone who’s has a background knows:
Hope is not a strategy
2) Listen to your testers – and never push through problems
Due to the massive nature of Obamacare – and the huge political resistance to it – they felt they had to make a decision no employer would ever make. The folks my co-workers know in the HHS organization said this “had to launch, come hell or high water.” The fallout of a bad launch would be less than the political pain of delay or no launch whatsoever.
All I can say – thank the Lord that this level of politics has been absent from the employer projects we’ve worked. Of course, as soon as I type that last sentence, I remember too many projects that an executive or c-suite member pushed against our recommendations due to pride, ego or ignorance. Once materials are printed or commitments are made to the board, it is very hard to repeal those decisions. Too often emotions and politics can complicate decisions about the right thing to do for the employees and the organization as a whole.
Sanity should not be a precious resource
3) Communicate problems to project sponsors as early as possible
In the interview referenced above, Sebelius said the President “didn’t hear that there may be problems … until it went live on October 1.” I don’t know about your organization, but in my company – and with the employers I work for – that statement is usually the last words of someone who needs to update their LinkedIn profile!
Not keeping key sponsors in the loop and up to date is an EPIC FAIL! (Millenials, please correct my usage if I’m not keeping up with the lingo!) Too often folks feel they can push through or mask issues. Having been in both roles – the Project Sponsor and as the person responsible for delivery of the project – I can only advocate as strongly as possible for early consistent communication. What was the old Chicago political admonition? “Vote early and often.” Well for HR Tech it should be:
Communicate project status (and especially issues) early and often
Alright, back to watching the slow motion train wreck as Sen. Max Baucus (chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and key sponsor of the ACA) called it with amazing foresight. There are lessons here for us all.
Did you see any other lessons to be learned? Do you have any implementation stories to share?