10 steps for implementing an applicant tracking system

1. Assemble the ATS implementation team

The ATS implementation team is responsible for making decisions during the implementation.

One potential team member is a senior leader who works in talent acquisition and who might run the project. They would be mostly focused on the project's implementation schedule, budget, and more high-level ATS features like dashboards and reports.

Other team members, who could be recruiters and coordinators, would focus more on the features that they will use daily to create requisitions, manage the interview process and hire new employees.

The implementation team can also include employees from other teams, such as IT staff or managers and employees from various departments. The team should consist of approximately five people so that the group can make decisions quickly. The implementation team can solicit additional feedback from others as needed. For example, a recruiter on the implementation team might reach out to other recruiters for feedback.

The implementation team will likely include one or more vendor representatives. They can reach out to the vendor if additional help or explanations are required.

2. Identify escalation points

During the ATS implementation, issues might arise that require escalation. Knowing whom to contact to escalate issues internally and with the vendor can help resolve issues more quickly.

The team usually escalates internal issues to senior management, such as the talent acquisition leader or the chief people officer, and the vendor will provide information about the contact point for escalation.

Hopefully, the implementation team will not need to escalate any issues. However, knowing whom to contact is important if major roadblocks to proper configuration arise or if the budget or timeline is in danger of being affected.

3. Block off time in team members' calendars

The implementation team should expect to spend five to 10 hours per week on the implementation. A team member might spend more or less time on the project, depending on the specific implementation and the person's role, so discussing the time demands with the vendor before the project kickoff is crucial.

Team members must plan for the implementation's time demands and potentially postpone other tasks or have other co-workers take them on. The implementation will move quickly, and the team must make the implementation the priority.

4. Undergo the vendor's training

Vendors will often make training available for the implementation team so that team members can learn more about the vendor's application before the implementation begins.

Team members can pick and choose the training they need, based on their role on the team. However, power users and people who will be responsible for maintaining and configuring the system post go-live should enroll in all the training so that they possess a good understanding of the application.

5. Review the requirements

Reviewing the requirements for the ATS enables the team members to focus on the features that the group requested from the application at the outset.

During the implementation process, team members might see new features and get distracted. Decisions about features to add can change during the implementation, but team members should consider each decision carefully instead of acting on impulse.

6. Schedule a kickoff meeting

The ATS vendor will often schedule a kickoff meeting at the beginning of the implementation project. The meeting is an opportunity to meet the vendor's employees, learn more about each team member and discuss project timelines.

Everyone should be present and prepared for the meeting, as both the vendor and employees from the company purchasing the software can bring questions about the implementation.

7. Implement the software

Starting with the most critical features is usually the best strategy for implementation. For example, if a company requires multiple languages, countries and currencies for its applicant tracking system, seeing how the ATS handles those scenarios is important.

As the implementation progresses, the team should take some time to review the requirements and note down the features that have been implemented, the features that can't be implemented as planned and any new features that the team has decided to include. Tracking the requirements this way will help the project team know the amount of work that remains.

8. Develop employee training

Employees who will be using the new ATS must go through training before go-live, and the implementation team needs to develop the training and test it to confirm that it provides the necessary information.

Employees who will go through the training might include recruiters who were not part of the implementation, hiring managers, senior leaders who want to access dashboards and reports, and employees who could be involved in the hiring process or want to apply for a new position.

9. Test the applicant tracking system

Testing before a go-live is crucial because the implementation team needs to confirm that the ATS is working as intended.

The implementation team should perform testing, but other employees should also test the application using the internal training material. Since those employees haven't been involved in the implementation, they won't know how the system is intended to work and might find issues that the implementation team has overlooked.

10. Post go-live updates

The implementation team should plan for needing to make post go-live updates to the system.

As employees begin using the ATS, the need for configuration changes to support new requirements or simply make the system work better might become evident. The implementation team can figure out how and when to make the needed changes.

Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.