Because it was limited in scope and resources, he chose not to use a strategic consultant, saving his consulting budget for implementation. He looked at his options, then chose a package that meshed nicely with his existing payroll system. Consultants can lead you to overkill, if you re not careful, he believes. So it all depends on what your goal is. If you are reengineering HR, then it s necessary.
Some strategic consultants believe that kind of thinking is short-sighted.
Though this may seem self-serving to the consulting community, some of the most experienced ones make a solid argument. You have to understand systems, HR and how to put the two together. Only someone with years of experience doing it will have the relevant knowledge. Whether the company already has a consultant or someone external like her is a different question, Bloom notes. With about 30 years experience in information systems, especially in HRIS, she believes an HR delivery system has four architectures-processes, data, organization and technology.