Efficient VMS Implementation for Faster Time to Value
For more than 20 years, implementing a vendor management system (VMS) was a complex process requiring significant time and resource commitments from everyone involved: the VMS supplier, the managed services provider (MSP), and particularly from the organization’s contingent workforce management (CWM) program office.
Beeline’s implementation methodology is a blend of PMI (Project Management Institute) Project Management Process with development practices that exemplify the best industry standards and practices. The goal is to promote, leverage, and utilize a configuration solution that is built on contingent workforce industry best practices.
We start with a base configuration that incorporates the features our customers want most. Then we conduct a readiness assessment with each individual client to determine the configuration you want and compare it with the configuration most customers actually choose. Typically, they are about 90% the same.
When you confirm the VMS configuration you want, we create a comprehensive work packet – ‘one meal at a time’ rather than ‘separate dishes’ – to go from start to finish.
We test your entire configuration internally to quickly spot and correct any problems, rather than taking it to you only to find that it’s not what you wanted. When we go start-to-finish, our team can quickly compare the entire site configuration to all your requirements.
When fully tested and certified, we ‘showcase’ your site to you. As a result, any further changes required will likely occur only if you decide you need configuration settings not in your original request, and these can be made quickly and holistically, rather than piecemeal.
If you are thinking about implementing a VMS, there is a good chance that you are currently using spreadsheets to track your extended workers manually or perhaps your organization uses some other technology that serves as your current ‘system’ of record. If you have spoken to sales representatives or seen demos of VMS technologies, you already realize the many benefits of automating your current process, and that is a good thing. Maybe you have already decided that a VMS is definitely the best thing for your organization, but what happens between the time you decide to sign on the dotted line and the time your organization is steadily using a VMS?
It is important to understand that no two implementations are the same. Although it is useful to review case studies from your peers, and you might find some common characteristics among those stories, each implementation is unique. Each organization may be solving for different problems, and therefore, may be implementing different solutions in different timeframes. Each scope of work is unique, and each organization has different internal processes, which means different contracts and resources involved.
What industry experts can do, however, is help you understand the various components that relate to all implementations, because there are some absolute truths about implementations that are the same for every organization, regardless of industry, size, or solution. At the very least, there are some steps you can take to become better aligned internally and with your VMS provider during the implementation process:
Establish a partnership and communication plan among internal and external project stakeholders.
Identifying focused, dedicated resources – including client Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
Create and employ a phased plan to set up the project foundation.
Utilize proven processes and templates to streamline the implementation process.
Conduct regularly scheduled status meetings that promote open communication.
Follow a proven solution design process and stakeholder reviews/demos.
Implement a comprehensive data migration strategy.
Ensure aggressive issue identification and closure.
An important consideration in any contingent workforce solution implementation is the integration of the VMS with other vital enterprise data systems. Beeline, built within a robust SaaS architecture, interfaces seamlessly with enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions such as SAP, Oracle, and Workday, as well as all leading eProcurement, HR management, financial management, security, and other vital enterprise applications.
Integrating with Beeline tends to be lower-cost and lower-risk because our seasoned integration experts work closely with our clients’ IT teams throughout the implementation process. We offer all of our standard integrations at no cost to clients, because we know they will deliver greater productivity and a better user experience. But if your needs are truly unique, our dedicated integration team delivers custom-tailored integrations, too. Every day our VMS handles hundreds of thousands of record transfers flawlessly, using a broad selection of standard web-based APIs and flat file data exchange templates.Quick configuration iterations for refinement of the solution (i.e., Good, Better, and Best) providing the most complete solution design for our clients
Collaboration among all internal and external project team members that fosters open communication and candid feedback
Utilization of industry standards and system best practices as a foundation for all implementation projects
Communication of clear expectations and improved time to implement
Incorporation of lessons learned from iteration to iteration
Discover and learn how Beeline helps you engage with the external workforce.
