Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) has appointed independent HR software provider Cascade to implement a new fully integrated .NET system that will streamline and ‘future proof’ the club’s HR processes.
As one of the highest profile English Premier League clubs with over 530 employees, MCFC requires a comprehensive HR software system to ensure the correct talent is recruited, trained and managed both on and off the pitch.
The Cascade software will allow MCFC to replace its out-dated, manual, paper-based processes and spreadsheets with an internet browser-based system, enabling consolidation of data, a reduction in paperwork and improved efficiencies throughout the entire HR department.
MCFC undertook a rigorous selection process in order to choose the right software provider, and the HR department analysed various solutions to see how well they would meet the club’s requirements.
MCFC’s systems technology analyst Pat Myerscough explained: “We wanted a system that could be tailored to match our own look and feel in terms of the club’s brand, but more importantly we sought software that could be used by ‘non-techies’. We were impressed by what Cascade had to offer. They were able to meet 100% of our functional requirements and they scored 95% on our skills matrix analysis, in comparison to a maximum 87% score from their competitors.”
Heather Vitty, client services director at Cascade adds, “For an organisation such as MCFC change happens on a daily basis, so the utmost level of flexibility is required within the HR department.
“By design, Cascade’s .NET solution encourages change so clients need never be restricted by their HR software. The ease of integration means that the system will work with the club’s existing IT infrastructure and other business packages in the future.”
Vitty continued: “MCFC’s system administrators have already undergone core HR training to understand the relationship between their data and the software functionality.
“They will begin to see for example that with only a few clicks they can create sophisticated, point-in-time management reports. For example we would expect a monthly absenteeism report to now take two minutes to prepare rather than 40, and an average of three hours can be saved when carrying out in-depth monthly trend analyses as the automated functionality of the system will begin to identify and act upon its findings immediately.
“A pilot group of users are now familiarising themselves with the self-service module before it will be rolled out to the whole organisation. The full HR package – incorporating recruitment and workflow modules – will be launched by July, supported by Cascade’s personalised training programme.”
Myerscough concludes: “To an organisation of our size and stature, having the right HR system in place is crucial for the well-being of the club as a whole. If the management of the club is running smoothly behind the scenes then that helps the players to get on with their job on the pitch.”
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