Change Management in SaaS Projects: It's Important, Very Important, Extremely Important (Saying It Three Times Because It Matters)
In global HRIS projects, the absence of change management is the most common and dangerous pitfall. Why do business teams struggle to accept new systems? Why are processes met with resistance right after go-live? This article combines real-world cases to deeply analyze the critical role of change management in Workday projects, and how both HRIS and business teams should transform their roles and collaborate effectively
In SaaS product implementation projects like Workday, we often hear complaints from clients: "This system isn't what we wanted!" "Workday isn't that impressive after all!" "This doesn't align with our management practices!"
These voices often reflect not problems with the product itself, but rather the consequences of lacking "Change Management" in the project.
Let's first look at some lessons learned:
❗Real Case One: Collective Resistance to Performance Process in Japan Region A global enterprise failed to consider the work habits and requirements of countries like Japan. In a context where key processes involving performance and compensation needed to be unified and escalated to the general manager level for adjustment and confirmation, the lack of change management during system implementation—specifically failing to communicate with local employees and announce the plan—led to collective resistance before go-live, ultimately forcing project rework.
❗Real Case Two: "Parachute" Launch of Performance Module Triggers Backlash In another project, due to tight timelines for the performance module go-live, the client decided to complete the system setup first and notify business teams later. As a result, it wasn't until just before go-live that many managers and employees heard for the first time that performance reviews would be switching to a new system. Faced with sudden changes in processes and operations, many users developed resistance and refused to accept the new system, significantly diminishing the project experience.
✅What Successful Projects Do In contrast, successful projects incorporate change management from project inception:
Management announces strategic background and objectives in Town Halls during the early project phase
VPs and Directors from various business departments regularly receive project progress materials
System demonstrations and process training are organized in advance to help users build confidence and engagement
These seemingly "soft" activities actually lay a solid foundation for system go-live.
🔍What is Change Management? Broadly speaking, change management is a structured approach that helps individuals, teams, and organizations smoothly transition from their "current state" to their desired "target state," adapting to various changes including new systems, new processes, and new roles.
In SaaS projects, the core function of change management is: To guide users in accepting and applying new service models, processes, and systems, ensuring changes are effective and sustainable.
🚨Why is Change Management Especially Important in SaaS Projects Like Workday? In traditional on-premise or self-developed system projects, business teams are accustomed to playing the "client" role: stating requirements and having HRIS or IT teams develop and implement solutions.
But in SaaS projects like Workday, this model no longer works.
🔄Change management represents a "bidirectional role transformation" for both HRIS and business teams:
For business teams: No longer just "stating requirements," but becoming active learners and change participants. Leading SaaS products in the market (such as Workday) often embody many global best practices, rather than simply "copying old processes." This requires business leaders to participate from the project's beginning, understand system principles, accept process changes, identify differences, and drive reasonable localization adjustments where appropriate.
For HRIS and IT teams: No longer just "delivering systems," but becoming change drivers and bridge builders. HRIS and consulting teams shouldn't just configure based on requirements—they need to stand from an organizational perspective, assess change impacts, coordinate multi-party communication, organize change rhythms, and guide user acceptance of new systems through training, communication, feedback mechanisms, and other means.
Only when business teams are willing to step out of "client thinking" and HRIS teams move beyond being just a "delivery factory," with both sides collaborating, can they truly achieve the closed loop of: system go-live → process implementation → behavior change → management upgrade.
This is where the true value of change management lies.
📌Conclusion So, the next time you hear "the system isn't user-friendly," don't rush to blame the product—perhaps it's that change management wasn't properly implemented. The success of SaaS/HRIS projects was never about "just installing the system." It's a comprehensive upgrade of organizational management methods, and moreover, a revolution in culture, processes, and mindset.
Interested in or have questions about the perspectives and content in this article? As practitioners deeply rooted in the HRIS field, we are committed to helping more enterprises and individuals efficiently complete HRIS projects. If you're looking for more professional and customized solutions, please contact us via LinkedIn. Let's explore together how to make HRIS truly empower your business!