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The DBZ Applicant Tracking System Case

When Max, a training and development associate at DBZ Corporation, was asked by Bonita, the company’s vice president of human resources, to lead change management for an HR systems project the company was about to launch, he was thrilled. Now was his chance to apply some of the change management techniques and tools he’d recently learned to a real live change initiative at his company.

Bonita explained that the company intended to replace the old online applicant tracking system that job seekers used to apply to open positions at DBZ. The new system would be more appealing to job applicants and would help the company’s 100-plus recruiters around the globe perform their jobs more efficiently.

“That sounds like an easy win,” Max thought to himself as Bonita provided a quick project overview. Max knew that the company’s recruiters—the key people inside DBZ whom the project would touch—despised the outdated technology they currently relied on to do their jobs. He anticipated that building support and buy-in for the project among these key stakeholders would be a snap.

“I’m putting together the project team,” Bonita explained. She would serve as project sponsor, establishing the overall vision for the applicant tracking system project and coordinating with the company’s executive team to ensure the right resources were assigned. Kevin, DBZ’s director of talent acquisition, would act as project leader, and would oversee project planning and execution. The project team also included some of the company’s recruiters and IT staff, who would serve as subject matter experts, and some consultants assigned by their applicant tracking system vendor.

“I’d like you to head up change management on the project,” Bonita continued. “Think you’re ready for that?”

Bonita didn’t need to ask twice. Max couldn’t wait to get involved.

So Max was eager to help when Kevin reached out the next day and asked him to review the draft project charter and project plan that Kevin and Bonita had prepared (Table 2-1).

Table 2-1. DBZ Applicant Tracking System Project Charter

Project Name	Applicant Tracking System Phase 1: US
Start Date	March 1, 2021
End Date	December 1, 2021
Objective	Implement an online applicant tracking system that will provide job applicants with an easier, streamlined process for applying to DBZ job vacancies, and that will provide US recruiters with a more efficient process for managing recruitment, from posting job vacancies online and managing candidate information through to extending and tracking acceptance of job offers.
Deliverables
In Scope	• All US locations • Online system for posting job vacancies and managing candidate information • Integration with job-advertising systems (e.g., Indeed) • Online application forms for job candidates, including résumé parsing • Online system for generating offer letters and tracking acceptance of offers • Mobile enabled for job applicants and recruiters • Revised recruitment workflow and processes • Redesigned jobs for some recruiters
Out of Scope	• Locations outside the US • Integration with reference check vendor
Benefits	• Improved ability to attract qualified job applicants • Reduced time to fill job vacancies (expect reduction of 10 days in time to fill) • Reduced cost to fill job vacancies (expect reduction of $235 per vacancy)

Key Deliverables and Timeline

Major Milestone or Deliverable	Estimated Timeline
Stakeholder analysis	3/1/21–4/15/21
Configuration / integration design and development	3/8/21–7/8/21
Workflow process redesign	3/22/21–4/9/21
Recruiter job redesign	4/10/21–4/30/21
Create stakeholder engagement plan	4/10/21–4/17/21
Create communication materials	4/18/21–7/8/21
Create training materials	5/18/21–7/8/21
System testing	7/9/21–8/10/21
User acceptance testing	8/10/21–8/21/21
User training	8/21/21–9/30/21
Migration from old system	10/1/21–10/31/21
Go live with new system	11/1/2021
Advanced user training	11/15/2021–12/1/2021

Project Team and Key Stakeholders

Project Sponsor	Bonita Lopez
Project Leader	Kevin Louis
Core Project Team Members	East Coast Recruiter TBD
	West Coast Recruiter TBD
	Southwest Recruiter TBD
	Southeast Recruiter TBD
	Midwest Recruiter TBD
	IT Staff Member TBD
	IT Staff Member TBD
	Vendor Staff Member TBD
	Vendor Staff Member TBD
Change Management Leader	Max Williams
Key Stakeholders	US Recruiters
	US Hiring Managers
	Job Applicants
	Recruiters Outside the US
Attachments: • Statement of Work • Stakeholder Analysis • Project Plan • Stakeholder Engagement Plan	• Communication Plan • Training Plan • Budget

Signatures

Project Sponsor:
Project Leader:
Change Management Leader:

“Take a look and fill in some of the missing details,” Kevin requested of Max. “And let me know if you see any problems.”

“Sure thing,” Max responded with enthusiasm. “No problem at all.”

But Max felt a bit of a jolt as he began to read through the documents Kevin shared with him. Max began to realize that perhaps the project wouldn’t be so easy after all. According to the project charter, the initiative not only involved replacing the outdated applicant tracking system, but also would entail changing some of the processes hiring managers and recruiters used to post job vacancies, review résumés, identify candidates to be interviewed, and send job offers. Because these processes were changing, the initiative also involved redefining and restructuring some of the jobs currently held by DBZ’s recruitment staff. Changing the technology meant changing work processes, which meant changing the organizational structure.

Max sighed. This was big. Not only would Max need to help the company’s recruiters learn how to use new software, but he would also have to help them understand why and how their work processes were changing and how this affected their job roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships.

And yet, as Max continued reading through the draft charter, he realized that in some ways the project was also smaller than he originally thought. From his conversations with colleagues in DBZ’s offices outside the US, Max understood that DBZ recruiters across the globe were frustrated by the company’s current applicant tracking system. But the project charter made it clear that the current initiative focused on replacing the software only in the US DBZ locations outside the US would be addressed in a subsequent project to be launched after the US initiative was completed.

“They’re going to be upset,” Max groaned to himself as he contemplated the disappointment and ruffled feathers he would need to deal with because of this decision. Part of his change management responsibilities would involve helping his colleagues outside the US understand how the current project affected them and ensure they developed realistic expectations about what was coming in the future.

“Well, at least I know about this now,” Max considered as he thought more about the conversations he’d need to have with these colleagues. “Better for them to know what’s happening right from the start.”

Max wrapped up his review of the project charter and turned to the project plan. As he flipped through, he spotted trouble when he got to the section on page 9, where Kevin had asked him to enter details related to training (Table 2-2).

Table 2-2

According to the dates Kevin and Bonita had included in the project plan, most of the training for the new system would occur during the late summer. In the past, Max had heard recruiters in DBZ’s western and southern US divisions complain about how busy they were during the summer months, when hiring for these locations was at its peak. That probably wouldn’t be the best time for DBZ to pull recruiters off the job and ask them to learn new work processes and software.

“That could be a problem,” Max thought to himself as he made a mental note to check in with Kevin. “But we can ask recruiters what they think. We’ll work together and figure out when it makes the most sense for training to occur.”

Max continued to read through the project plan. He was pleased to see sections where Kevin and Bonita wanted him to fill in details regarding training and communications. “It’s on their radar,” Max recognized. “And I’m on their radar too.”

As he finished looking at the documents Kevin asked him to review, Max pondered some of the tough conversations he’d need to have over the ensuing months. This project would require a lot of work, Max realized, but based on what he was seeing in the project charter and project plan, he felt confident the initiative would get off to a good start.

“Let the fun begin,” Max announced to himself. He started typing comments into the plan.

What’s happening here? We see Max, in his role as change management leader for DBZ’s applicant tracking system project, review a project charter and project plan. Max recognizes that by defining the overall objective, scale, and scope of the project, the charter provides him with invaluable information he can use to help employees understand how the project would—and wouldn’t—affect them. He also recognizes that by laying out all the tasks he and his project team needed to complete, and the dates by which each of these activities needed to occur, the project plan can help him coordinate with stakeholders to prevent conflicts between project-related activities and the other work key stakeholders needed to perform. By seeking input from stakeholders regarding details contained in the project plan, Max knows he can secure their buy-in and support.

In the chapters that follow in this section, we’ll take a deeper look at each of the tools Kevin asked Max to review. We’ll see that while the project charter and project plan are essential for addressing the hard side of change—we use them to define project objectives and deliverables, assign responsibilities, and track and monitor progress—they’re essential for addressing the soft side of change too. In chapter 3, we’ll review how you can use the project charter to build a shared understanding among stakeholders about what’s changing and what isn’t. You’ll see that it’s important to consider the full scope of the change your organization is embarking on, so you can speak accurately and honestly with stakeholders about what the change means for them. Then, in chapter 4, we’ll look at the key components of the project plan. You’ll see why it’s so important to integrate training and communications into your plan, and seek feedback about the plan from those who are most affected by it. And as we discuss both tools, you’ll see how the project leader and change management leader need to work hand in hand.

But first, think about a recent change initiative you were a part of, or perhaps you’re just starting one. Did you have a project charter and a project plan? What documentation did you have that outlined the key details about the project? Was there agreement on what was to be done, in what timeframe, and by whom? What challenges did the absence of this up-front work present not just for the project, but for how well you were able to manage the change?