Leveraging AI to support HCM Implementations

When people hear "AI in HR," most jump straight to the built-in features of platforms like Dayforce, SuccessFactors, or Workday. That’s fair, those platforms are investing heavily in intelligent automation and predictive insights. But there’s another, often overlooked, opportunity: using AI to drive better outcomes throughout the implementation process itself.

We’re talking about smarter planning, cleaner data, faster testing, more targeted change management, and better post-go-live support. Used well, AI doesn’t just make your tech smarter, it makes your project team sharper, more responsive, and better equipped to deliver real results.

Real-World Value: Where AI Has Made the Difference

Planning and Scoping That’s Actually Based on Data - Take a large government agency that was kicking off a multi-stream HCM transformation. Instead of relying on gut feel and Excel templates, they fed data from 400+ comparable public sector projects into an AI tool. The outcome? Their implementation roadmap flagged payroll and timekeeping integration as potential pain points early. They restructured the rollout sequence accordingly, and it saved six weeks of time later on. That’s what we call proactive planning—based on facts, not assumptions.

Cleaning Data Without the Pain - A major healthcare provider was facing a data mountain: 15 years of complex rosters, part-time histories, and legacy quirks. Rather than putting a team of temps on manual clean-up duty, they ran their data through machine learning tools. These picked up duplicate records, flagged anomalies, and corrected inconsistent formatting. The result was a 70% reduction in manual effort and a smoother path into testing and migration.

Testing Payroll, Minus the Guesswork - An aged care provider moving to a cloud payroll platform. They’d had issues in the past with interpreting shift patterns and allowances under their Award. This time, they let AI generate targeted test cases, based on their actual pay runs and historic problem areas. Three rounds of regression testing took just two weeks. Faster, cleaner testing, and peace of mind that they'd nailed their complex award rules.

Change Management That Meets People Where They Are - One of the biggest wins we’ve seen was during a retail chain’s HCM rollout. With thousands of employees across stores, their change team tapped into AI to read the room - literally. Sentiment analysis helped them pick up which messages resonated and which missed the mark. They moved away from generic webinars to short, tailored training clips. Translations followed quickly. Helpdesk calls dropped 45% during go-live. Employees felt heard and supported.

AI That Keeps Working After Go-Live - At a university implementing a new HCM suite, the challenge wasn’t the launch, it was the flood of “how do I?” questions that came next. Their solution? An AI-powered avatar trained on their own policies and FAQs. Within two weeks, it was handling more than 60% of inbound queries. HR didn’t just survive go-live, they stayed focused on strategic support rather than being buried in the inbox. Check out www.unith.ai

A Quick Reality Check

Let’s be clear, AI isn’t magic. In a retail project, an AI-driven resume screening tool unintentionally excluded candidates without degrees, despite years of experience. Why? Because no one checked the logic behind it. Bias is real, and data quality still matters. That’s why AI should never replace good governance, thoughtful oversight, and clear accountability. It’s a tool, not a shortcut.

So What’s the Takeaway?

AI can’t implement your HCM system for you. But it can make your team more effective, your decisions better informed, and your risks easier to manage. We’re seeing organisations that embed AI into their implementation approach reduce project timelines, improve data quality, and achieve better outcomes, without blowing the budget or overwhelming their teams.

If you’re about to start your HCM journey, or you’ve already started but things feel harder than they should, consider how AI might support delivery beyond the software features. We’ve helped clients across government, aged care, higher education, and retail do exactly that. If you'd like to learn more, reach out, we’d love to share what’s worked (and what to avoid). info@impacthrt.com.au