Some recent project work and discussions have brought into focus why I like (but still sometimes dislike) SAP E-Recruiting. If you're with me on the integrated, extensible ATS platform bandwagon that can go to 11 with enough time and money, you might yawn and say "Sure, got it, move on." You may want to stop reading.

In recent discussions around automated process support, the conversations have been around process compliance. We're not talking 500 person companies or even 5000 here. How do I ensure my recruiters have followed these steps before hiring? Have my approvals gone up the right chain? How do I ensure the process is done right when we're not a centralized recruiting organization? At the detailed level the often infrequent users of the system literally need to be reminded the next steps based on the type of job they're hiring against. The conversation becomes not "The system can't do that" (though sometimes I think I should lie to simplify life) but "That can be done, but it's better if we simplify." Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes complexity is necessary, particularly in government and regulated industries, other times it's a bandaid for complex process and unwillingness to change. The point is you can support any process, period. It comes with a price tag, during the implementation but even more so as a support cost.

The missing part here is that any large organization should have internal and external process compliance driven from HR. You know which jobs need drug tests, which ones need three versus two levels of approval, etc.

I was recently using a popular ATS that wasn't from SAP or another enterprise vendor. I was kind of flummoxed when I created a requisition and was asked first of all for data such as exempt, non-exempt, pay grade, job descriptions, etc. Shouldn't this have flowed from HR? Requisition libraries or templates are sold as a feature for consistency, but are a band aid for poor enterprise integration. Never mind. I was also astounded when asked who I'd like to approve the requisition. Wait, isn't that the next three people up the chain? Chain? Oh never mind. My buddy in the next cube can approve it. The same goes for the nice enterprise structure you created in HR. You need it for reporting. Let's not even start about the need to integrate existing employee talent data into an ATS to reuse the valuable people you already have. Especially in this economy! We love data duplication.

Now here's the thing I sometimes hate about SAP. All the getting SAP to do exactly what you need takes time, energy, and money. I know, that sounds weird if I say it aloud. If it was zero effort I would be out of a job. Another issue is that SAP doesn't do a lot of cutting edge stuff such as fancy sourcing of candidates on the internet that have not expressed interest. Not all organizations need this functionality. Those that do need it can integrate to tools that do that. You can extend functionality and integrate anything with enough time and money.

How would SAP versus "best of breed" play out in a beauty pageant? As a non-SAP solution I'd say "I'm pretty and do lots of things. Who the heck are you, dinosaur ERP?" As SAP I'd say "I can get pretty and do more things through extensions and integration, but you can never get integrated data! Bite me!"

The fun part is often where this plays out in a sales cycle. The very people that aren't concerned with or simply don't want enterprise controls and compliance are often those holding the purse strings. The lack of consistent processes creates problems after go-live when a system that supports flexibility but not consistency is used.

Have you experienced any similar issues? Maybe you completely disagree with me. Please comment.

Cheers, Mark