Alignment from Policy to Application - 2

The development of  Data Models and Templates as the second component that requires purposeful alignment and integration and is an essential work that the HR Architect must execute. This is especially relevant in the case of highly integrated HR information systems such as SAP. Although these systems are pre-programmed or pre-developed systems, they do not automatically contain data templates and content that need to be designed and built during the planning or business blueprint phases of the implementation project.

There are basically two parts to the design and development of data models and templates. The first is the Data Model Design that does not require any information system work, therefore lies in the domain of business or HR. The second part is the Data Model Design that will require information system work, and will require the attention of functional system consultants.

For purposes of this discussion, I will use the Integrated Job Profile as an example - to be sure, it is a very relevant example. In SAP, the integrated job profile is a highly integrated data model that integrates with almost all the Talent Management functionalities, but it is compiled within SAP from a number of tables, that are built from a number of catalogues and therefore one cannot talk of a single job profile template in SAP.

Building an integrated data model that supports and enables the Talent Management activities starts with workshops with the specific HR teams responsible for the Talent Management business processes. The objective of the workshops should be to design and document the integrate Talent Management data model and to do a data breakdown structure that identifies all the key components of the integrated job profile such as the tasks, qualifications, competencies, etc. and documenting those in catalogue format for capturing into SAP.

When the non-system data model has been designed and approved by HR, the HR Architect must engage with the functional system consultants who will, in context of the catalogues, determine how the integration will be achieved on the data layers using the standard system functionality available. This will see the identification and configuration of "services" from the integrated job profile to the various talent management areas such as Career & Succession Management, Training & Development, etc.