Phase 1: Scope and governance
- Name an executive sponsor and a project owner from HR.
- List the modules and countries in scope for the first release.
- Agree what is out of scope for now.
- Define success measures, such as payroll accuracy and time saved on routine requests.
Phase 2: Data preparation
- Export employee, position and organization data from current systems.
- Clean duplicates, missing fields and inconsistent job titles.
- Prepare opening balances for leave and, if needed, year-to-date payroll figures.
- Decide which historical records must be kept.
Phase 3: Configuration
- Set up legal entities, locations, departments and reporting lines.
- Configure leave types, holiday calendars and attendance rules.
- Build salary structures and connect payroll to the right country rules.
- Define approval workflows and roles.
Phase 4: Integrations
- Connect payroll postings to the finance system.
- Set up single sign-on if required.
- Plan any biometric or time-clock data feeds.
Phase 5: Testing
- Run at least one full payroll in parallel with the existing process and reconcile every difference.
- Test leave, attendance and approvals with real managers.
- Check role permissions: who can see and change pay data.
Phase 6: Training and go-live
- Train HR administrators, managers and employees separately.
- Communicate the go-live date and what changes for each group.
- Freeze changes in the old system during cut-over.
- Plan extra support in the first pay cycle.
Phase 7: After go-live
- Review payroll accuracy and support tickets after each of the first cycles.
- Collect feedback and adjust configuration.
- Plan the next module or country.