Recently, Dr. Wade M. Larson, Chief Human Resources Officer at Wagstaff, Inc. shared Wagstaff’s Oracle HCM Cloud success story. Larson is the consummate HR professional. He doesn’t skip any steps, but he doesn’t forget the mission either. This makes Larson an ideal presenter to share this success story.

Larson describes how his company, Wagstaff, a global provider of direct chill aluminum casting equipment, recently moved to the Oracle HCM Cloud. He walks you through the steps and then talks about the many benefits his company has already appreciated after joining the Oracle HCM Cloud. You’ll want to hear the details by listening to the entire webinar on the Quest Content Library.

Larson explains how Wagstaff wanted to move from a process heavy system to one focusing on efficiency, timeliness and effectiveness. He breaks the Wagstaff journey to accomplish this into steps you can follow. Along the way, he shares great stories and analogies that convince you of the value of the process – and of the value of the partnerships with Oracle. (He tells, for example, a great story about building a house with a contractor who works as a partner, not just a vendor. Listen for it as he wraps up step 3.)

Larson describes the Wagstaff success story as happening in three major steps:

Step 1: Selection – Larson talks about how Wagstaff leadership initially wanted only a learning management system. They soon learned that most LMS providers offer other HR solutions. After a cursory search, then, Wagstaff expanded their expectations and looked at other systems.

Step 2: Evaluation – Larson explains how his team created a process to evaluate HR systems.
They listed their requirements – what they would like to be able to do and what systems are able to make that happen

• The Wagstaff team wanted a one-stop shop, access anytime anywhere, no new equipment, easy to use and work well within budget.
• The Wagstaff team set goals to save HR 25% of time spent on admin, 10% of time processing payroll and 20% of time for manager administration.

For requirements, they listed their resources – specifically time, funding, leadership approval and talent. They created a table of priorities to vet the vendors after watching 36 demos. They drafted a timeline with go-live dates for payroll and other systems (e.g. talent management, performance management, LMS and training) as well as a rollout schedule for managers and employees. They also included in their list of requirements the need to find a true business partner for software and implementation. The Wagstaff team liked the comprehensive solution Oracle provides as well as their customer service, the potential for growth and the adaptability.

Step 3: Maximize system outcome
During the webinar, Larson says, “I’m a true believer that if you automate a bad process, it is still a bad process.” His company, he says, wanted to maximize the value of the Oracle implementation to get the most out of the system.

One of the keys, Larson says, to improving processes: Don’t try to customize the Oracle system. You don’t want to worry the next time an upgrade hits. He admits it is tempting. Instead, he advises you to customize your businesses processes. Ultimately this will make it possible for your company to maximize the outcomes. “This is a different approach,” he says, “that means we had to get in there and get to know the systems before we get the system implemented.”

Larson presents multiple outcome examples and backs them up with numbers. He is excited about the achievements made with Oracle HCM Cloud. He talks about improving the experience for applicants and new hires; helping new employees to be successful; creating a new, easier process for performance appraisal; streamlining compensation; eliminating retro payment processing (this was a favorite for many!); and implementing new processes for training, development and payroll. Clearly, Larson is passionate about outcomes with Oracle HCM Cloud for employees and management.

Hear Dr. Larson’s full webinar video replay as he presents Wagstaff’s Oracle HCM Cloud Success Story.