Case Study - HRIS Development

Development of a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) for Corsican SME

-60%
HR management time
+45%
Employee satisfaction
6 months
ROI
5 months
Project duration

Project Overview

Client: Corsican services sector SME (confidential)
Sector: Consulting and business services
Staff: 120 employees across 3 sites
Duration: 5 months
Technologies: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Docker, OVH Cloud
Result: -60% HR management time, +45% employee satisfaction, 6-month ROI

Context and Initial Challenges

Initial Situation

Our client, a consulting and services agency based in Ajaccio, managed its human resources in a decentralized and fragmented way:

Consequences:
- HR Manager: 60+ hours/month on administrative tasks
- Regular payroll errors (legal penalties)
- Unsynchronized absences between teams
- No visibility on talent pipeline
- Employee dissatisfaction (opaque processes)
- GDPR and legal compliance risks

Strategic Objectives

  1. Centralize HR management on a single modern platform
  2. Automate repetitive tasks (payroll, absences, alerts)
  3. Digitize all paper/email processes
  4. Secure sensitive data (GDPR, encryption, audit)
  5. Improve employee experience (self-service portal)
  6. Ensure legal compliance and traceability

Developed Solution

Technical Architecture

We designed a complete and modular HRIS with four components:

📋 Administrative Management Module

  • Centralized employee database
  • Contract management (Permanent, Fixed-term, Internship)
  • Position, salary, evolution history
  • HR documents (certificates, diplomas)
  • Sensitive data encryption

💰 Payroll & Compensation Module

  • Time data import
  • Automatic payroll calculation (gross, net, contributions)
  • Electronic payslip generation
  • Payroll export for accounting/accountant
  • Advance payments, bonuses, allowances management
  • Legal compliance (minimum wage, collective agreements)

🏖️ Absence Management Module

  • Leave/RTT/sickness/training requests
  • Multi-level approval workflow
  • Team calendar synchronization
  • Automatic alerts (legal obligations, balances)
  • Payroll data export
  • Replacement management

👥 Recruitment & Career Module

  • Job posting publication
  • Application management (pipeline)
  • Employee evaluations
  • Training and certifications management
  • Skills history by role
  • Talent pipeline and succession

🔐 Secure & Scalable Backend

Technology Stack

Component Technology Justification
Admin Frontend React + TypeScript Type-safety, rich UX
Portal Frontend React + Tailwind CSS Responsive, user-friendly
Backend Node.js + Express Performance, scalability
Database PostgreSQL Structured data, integrity
Authentication OAuth2 + JWT Industry standard, security
Encryption AES-256 + PBKDF2 Sensitive data protection
Infrastructure Docker + Kubernetes Scalability, deployment
Cloud OVH Data in France, compliance
Backup PostgreSQL WAL + S3 Fast recovery
Export LibreOffice + PDF Payslips, reports

Implemented Features

Phase 1: Foundations (Months 1-2)

✅ Centralized Database

  • Import of employee data (150+ profiles)
  • Compensation history
  • Contracts and amendments
  • Organizational chart

✅ Payroll MVP Module

  • Automated payslip generation
  • URSSAF contributions
  • Taxable net calculation
  • Email delivery of payslips

✅ Secure Authentication

  • Local SSO (AD integration)
  • Granular roles and permissions
  • Password encryption

Phase 2: Absence Management (Months 2-3)

✅ Leave Request Workflow

  • Request by employee
  • Manager approval
  • HR validation
  • Outlook calendar integration

✅ Payroll Synchronization

  • Automatic absence import
  • RTT accrual calculation
  • Unused leave alerts

✅ Employee Portal

  • View leave/RTT balances
  • Self-service requests
  • Absence history

Phase 3: Recruitment & Career (Months 3-4)

✅ Application Management

  • Job posting on LinkedIn/website
  • Application form
  • Pipeline ranking (CV, cover letter, tests)
  • Employee feedback

✅ Annual Evaluations

  • 360° questionnaire templates
  • Skills rating
  • Objectives and achievements
  • Training recommendations

✅ Talent Pipeline

  • Succession planning by position
  • Internal talent identification
  • Development plan

Phase 4: Optimizations & Deployment (Months 4-5)

✅ GDPR Compliance

  • Complete data audit
  • Process documentation
  • Automated right to be forgotten
  • CNIL reports

✅ Training & Support

  • 3 group training sessions
  • Video documentation (25 tutorials)
  • 2-week hotline
  • Online FAQ

✅ External Integrations

  • Accounting export
  • Urssaf connector
  • Legacy data import

Results and Measurable Impacts

Success Metrics

Metric Before After Impact
HR management time/month 60h 24h -60%
Payroll errors/quarter 8-10 <1 -95%
Absence processing time 3 days Instant -100%
Self-service request rate 0% 78% +78%
Legal compliance audit 72% 100% +28%
Employee satisfaction 6/10 8.7/10 +45%
Legacy maintenance costs €8k/year €0 -€8k
New hire onboarding time 4h HR 20 min -95%

User Feedback

"It's revolutionary. Before, I spent my time sending Excel files and following up. Now everything is automated workflow. I finally have time for real HR work: talent development, culture."
— HR Manager
"The portal is super convenient. I see my leave in real time, I can request directly. No more lost emails. And payslips are accessible whenever I want."
— Employee
"From an accounting perspective, the exports are perfect. Before we received mixed, incomplete files. Now it's consistent and reliable, making monthly closing easier."
— Accountant

Business Impact

Methodology and Process

Agile Approach (Adapted SAFe)

We followed an iterative approach with:

🎯 Discovery Workshop (Week 1)

  • HR team immersion
  • Observation of existing processes
  • Employee interviews
  • Pain point mapping

🔄 4 sprints of 1 month

  • Collaborative sprint planning
  • Demos every Friday
  • Continuous feedback adjustments
  • Progressive field testing

🚀 Progressive Deployment

  • Month 1: Payroll + administrative
  • Month 2: Absences (pilot department)
  • Month 3: Full deployment + Recruitment
  • Month 4: Optimizations and stabilization

Training and Adoption

Challenges Overcome and Solutions

🔧 Challenge 1: Legacy Data Migration

Problem: Inconsistent old system database, duplicates

Solution: Migration script + manual cleanup, 100% data validation

💰 Challenge 2: Complex Payroll Compliance

Problem: Collective agreements, special regimes, bonuses/penalties

Solution: Configurable rules engine, exhaustive tests vs. manual payslips

👥 Challenge 3: Employee Adoption

Problem: Resistance to change (fear, habits)

Solution: Intensive training, very user-friendly portal, visible benefits

🔐 Challenge 4: Sensitive Data Security

Problem: GDPR compliance, banking data, medical data

Solution: Security audit, AES-256 encryption, complete logs, automated backup

Future Evolution Opportunities

The client is currently exploring:

📊 Advanced Dashboards

  • Turnover/retention analytics
  • Salary costs vs. budget
  • Team utilization rates
  • Gender balance/imbalances

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

  • Turnover prediction by profile
  • AI-based training recommendations
  • Anonymous survey sentiment analysis
  • Payroll optimization (tax)

🌐 External Integrations

  • Outlook calendar connector
  • Accounting software integration
  • Candidate portal (career.com)
  • API for other systems

Conclusion

This HRIS project demonstrates how intelligent digitalization transforms HR management. By replacing paper/email processes with automated and secure workflows, we have:

✅ Reduced administrative workload by 60% ✅ Ensured 100% legal compliance ✅ Improved employee satisfaction by 45% ✅ Generated ROI in 6 months

Do you have an SME with similar HR digitalization needs?

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Next Steps

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30 minutes to analyze your HR needs

📋 Process Audit

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💰 Personalized Quote

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