Criteria-based Evaluation Of HR Software: Clear Company Vs Bamboo HR Vs ADP For Small Business

The criteria-based approach to software evaluation

Discuss about the Project Management And Information Human Resources.

The selected software to be evaluated are

• ADP for small businesses
• Bamboo HR
• Clear Company HRM Software

The three softwares are to be evaluated based on principles of software evaluation and a criteria used to select the most suitable HR software in the context of the case study. Software evaluation is always a tricky balance between maintaining objectivity and subjectivity (Chiarovano et al., 2018). According to the Software Sustainability Institute (UK), there are two main criteria used for evaluating software; a criteria based approach and a tutorial based approach (‘Software Sustainability Institute’, 2018). The criteria based approach is a quantitative approach to assessing the quality of software where three main aspects are evaluated; the sustainability, usability, and maintainability of the software (Jedlitschka and Salo, 2008). The tutorial based criteria foe evaluating software is a form of pragmatic evaluation where a reproducible record of experiences is used (Jackson, Crouch and Baxter, 2016). For this case, a criteria based approach to evaluation is to be used: the criteria has been developed based on the principles of software quality testing as contained in ISO/IEC 9126-1 standard for software quality (Kanellopoulos et al., 2010). This assessment criteria will check whether the software conforms to certain characteristics and whether they exhibit certain qualities expected of a software that is sustainable. The software to be chosen will be one in which most characteristics base on the evaluation criteria are satisfied.  Usability of software pertains to the ease of use and ability to learn to use the software. It refers to the degree to which software can be used by a consumer to achieve certain objectives that have been quantified wit efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction (Dillon, 2018). Software sustainability has two aspects to it; sustainable software and the engineering of software for sustainability (Katz, 2016). Software maintainability refers to the ease by which a software component of system can be modified so as to correct faults, adapt to a changed environment, and improve performance (Crouch, 2016).

The three software are evaluated based on these criteria, in accordance with the table below; the criteria and sub-criteria will be assessed on the software and given scores between one and five, where one is the lowest score and five is the largest score. This is because using the yes/no responses leaves little room for flexibility and grading the software in different grades based on observed features.

After using the  ISO/IEC 9126-1 based evaluation tools for the quality and usability of the software; the three different software are then tested on features and their suitability for the purpose discussed after a subjective type of tutorial evaluation. The software are evaluated after use and then compare

Evaluating software based on usability, sustainability, and maintainability

The software has good features, starting with the user interface and color used: the mix of color provides high contrast that makes it easy to use. The features that relate to HR are plenty and serve the HR needs by integrating various HR functionalities, including requests for time off an attendance. The software has inbuilt features that describe in detail and in summary of the qualifications, competencies, ad skills of the employee. The software consolidates data gleaned from different areas of an organization into a single view. This data can then be accessed, sorted, controlled, and analyzed from nearly any device that has internet access. This is a particularly suitable feature that allows instant access using any device, be it a tablet , mobile hone or PC/ Mac. HR related issues such as salary and job history, training, benefits, and other core HR functions in a single suite. Software features a centralized database for employees; the database is interactive and can integrate with other applications. The database is updated across the board when information is changed ensuring all information is up to date.

The software makes administrative tasks easy, through automated time offs as it specifies how time is to be calculated. The software enables employees access to their information, even remotely so they can perform self service, including checking their tax documents, employment information, and even update their resumes. Further, using the employee self service feature, employees can make requests for time off, track training, and even request for benefits; the mobile application features enables these to be done while on the go. Bamboo HR also enabled reporting for HR, enabling decisions about employees, and company rules, policies and procedures to be made based on accurate data. As such, it is an important tool for decision making in the organization. Bamboo HR provides unique features from the first time a prospective employee interacts with an organization; applicants can be seamlessly managed through the software such as using the central database to organize job openings and managing applicant information for those openings. It also offers other standard expected features such as payroll management. The software however has weak employee recruitment features and practical applications such as insurance and retirement benefits managemen.

This is a HR and payroll and benefits administration software that is well designed and has easy to use features. Through the software platform, an organization can manage taxes, employee health cover, payroll, and employee insurance. It is database driven and can be used in multiple software platforms, including Android, IOS, and Microsoft; with cloud access and a mobile version, it can be accessed from multiple devices. It has an API for anywhere access and has a dashboard that shows activity. Automatic notifications are inbuilt into the software, such as automated reminders and customized reports can be generated from the software. It also includes features for employee self service through the employee portal and because it is database drive, changes are updated instantly. It has features for goal setting and tracking progress as well as an innovative feature for recruitment management. The software includes statistics for reporting along with a feature for tracking employee time and attendance. Time off requests can be made by the employee remotely, as well as training management features. The added features of insurance management as well as automated updates on laws and regulations on employee safety and insurance means that it enhances efficient and safe workplaces. With a dedicated customer service portal, it satisfies employee demand for digital platforms and services. It can easily integrate with other systems to provide quality advice from other HR professionals while enabling the filing of taxes to be done seamlessly through it. Aspects like calculating retirement benefits for employees are automatically incorporated into the software. The software performs seamlessly and is priced per device, making its pricing highly flexible. However, it lacks robust employee recruitment features, as compared to say, Clear Company.

Assessing and scoring the software based on evaluation criteria

This is also a good HRM software, but which is more forward oriented in that the features it offers include tracking of applicants and applicant management, souring of candidates, paper less on-boarding, goal setting and tracking, and performance management.  Application management and tracking is a major feature of the software as it started out as an application tracking software and has over the years added several new and unique features including partnering other vendors, providing an end to end talent management system. It enables one click background checks to be done and comes with a mobile application portal connected with social sharing tools. Video interviewing can be undertaken through the software and takes candidate details in a manner that is easy to consume and use for recruitment decision making. The software also has inbuilt features for sourcing of candidates that enables recruiters to access over 160 million social talent profiles, making sourcing efficient and reducing the time needed to source for the right talent. It enables deeper talent pipelines to be created and candidate profiles shared for further follow up.

Candidates can digitize process using online packets by transforming their present on-boarding work flow into digital versions that are customized, thanks to its paperless on-boarding feature. Another important and unique feature of the software is performance management that can accommodate unlimited 360 degree or peer reviews. It has features for automated reminders that are sent to employees that have not done their reviews and it also has customize tools for reporting for managers to track individual progress against benchmarks. The software has a feature for goal setting and tracking that makes it possible for managers as well as employees to identify and accomplish goals that aid their success while positively impacting company performance. All goals can be broken down for easy understanding and know the person responsible for each task or project. The company will thus have a clear picture of their individuals and teams and their performance and important data can be collected and reports created for management decision making. However, the software lacks practical HR features such as payrolls, time management, and is more of a recruitment and employee performance management software.

Having done the criteria based analysis and the tutorial like analysis based on Pros and Cons for each software, a weighting model is then used to judge the different softwares and grade them in order to choose the best. Because the criteria evaluation includes many issues and aspects, it is given a greater weight of 60%, while the tutorial evaluation is given a weight of 40%. The scores are then multiplied with the weights for each evaluation method and a final score obtained as shown in the table below;

The ADP software gets the highest score, mainly because of its features that include insurance, updating on employee safety rules, and the user interface. After evaluation and scoring, the software are graded for suitability of use as ADP (best), Clear Company (second best), and bamboo HR (last), based on their weighted scores.  The best software, therefore, is ADP HR

Reference

Chiarovano, E., Wang, W., Reynolds, P. and MacDougall, H. (2018). Imbalance: Objective measures versus subjective self-report in clinical practice. Gait & Posture, 59, pp.217-221.

Crouch, S. (2016). Developing maintainable software. [online] Software.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.software.ac.uk/developing-maintainable-software [Accessed 16 May 2018].

Dillon, A. (2018). The evaluation of software usability. [online] Ischool.utexas.edu. Available at: https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~adillon/BookChapters/Dillon-evaluation%20of%20software%20usab.htm [Accessed 16 May 2018].

Jackson, M., Crouch, S. and Baxter, R. (2016). Software Evaluation Guide | Software Sustainability Institute. [online] Software.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.software.ac.uk/resources/guides-everything/software-evaluation-guide [Accessed 16 May 2018].

Jedlitschka, A. and Salo, O. (2008). Product-focused software process improvement. Berlin: Springer.

Katz, D. (2016). Defining Software Sustainability. [online] Daniel S. Katz’s blog. Available at: https://danielskatzblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/13/defining-software-sustainability/ [Accessed 16 May 2018].

Kanellopoulos, Y., Antonellis, P., Antoniou, D., Makris, C., Theodoridis, E., Tjortjis, C. and Tsirakis, N. (2010). Code Quality Evaluation Methodology Using The ISO/IEC 9126 Standard. International Journal of Software Engineering & Applications, 1(3), pp.17-36.

‘Software Sustainability Institute’ (2018). The Software Sustainability Institute | Software Sustainability Institute. [online] Software.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.software.ac.uk/ [Accessed 15 May 2018].

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