Who Runs It Afterwards
The recurring work a timesheet system generates, who does it, and what happens in the common case where nobody was assigned.
Analysis
Step 06
Running it
The project ends at go-live; the system generates work every period indefinitely. That work is routinely unassigned, and every failure below follows from it.
9 notes
Closing a Period
The recurring operation the whole system exists to serve. What to check before locking, and what to do when a check fails.
Procedure
Watching the Data Quality
Four checks that show whether the records will bear weight, and what each one means when it moves.
Procedure
When the Vendor Updates
Hosted software changes underneath you. What to check after each release, and why new features arriving enabled is the risk worth watching.
Procedure
Support When It Matters
Severity in this category is defined by the payroll calendar. What to specify, and how to tell a real commitment from a marketing tier.
Analysis
Reporting Out of the Product
Built-in report builders are convenient and are where your analysis quietly becomes the vendor's. Where reporting belongs.
Analysis
When It Goes Wrong Near Payroll
The failures that matter here all have a deadline attached. What to decide in advance so the decision is not made under pressure.
Procedure
Reviewing Who Can See What
A quarterly review that reliably finds something, in a system holding a record of every employee's working day.
Procedure
The Non-Production Environment
Testing a rule change against live payroll data is not testing. What a sandbox needs to be useful, and why it belongs in the contract.
Procedure