Four critical lessons that drive outcomes, reduce friction, and unlock real value on HR & Finance Transformations

HR and Finance transformations are rarely simple. Even with the best intentions, organisations often find themselves navigating unexpected roadblocks. The difference between success and struggle often comes down to mindset, planning, and people.

Having supported over 80 transformation programmes across private and public sectors, Veran has seen what works and what doesn’t. If your organisation is gearing up for a change (or stuck in the middle of one), here are four critical lessons that can help drive outcomes, reduce friction, and unlock real value.

1. Start with a Clear Vision, Not Just a Technology Stack

Too many programmes kick off with vague intentions or misplaced focus on tools. A shiny new system is not a strategy.

Ask yourself:

• What tangible business value are we trying to unlock?

• Where are we today, and where do we want to go?

• What KPIs or data can we use to show our baseline compared to our ambition?

Transformation usually starts from one of three places:

1. You’re behind the curve and need to modernise fast.

2. You’ve invested in systems, but you’re not seeing the ROI.

3. Your tech and data are in good shape, but you want to go further.

Whatever your starting point, don’t let technology drive the narrative. Define your why, then let tech serve that purpose, not the other way around and don’t underestimate the power of Payroll, often overlooked, yet a huge lever for ROI and efficiency.

🔑 Pro tip: Draw a Transformation Map showing the business outcomes your programme will achieve over the next 3 to 5 years. If you want to see a great example, ask us!

2. Pre-Planning Isn’t a Step, It’s a Mindset

Think of pre-planning like packing for a climb. If you get it wrong, you won’t make it to the summit.

Our Phase Zero is a structured activity that gets you ready for successful transformation. It's comprised of 4 workstreams that happen in parallel:

• Governance and Business Case (to align your stakeholders)

• Service Design and Change (to agree your future state and prepare your people)

• Technical Solution & Data (to ensure your new solution will integrate and give you actionable insights)

• Procurement (to select the right solutions and partners)

  
  

Frontloading the right preparatory activities and knowing what you’re moving to allows you to be transparent about change, give people space to react, secure strong executive sponsorship and find allies across the organisation to lead the charge.

Transformation begins with mindset and requires a purposeful shift in culture and behaviour. We have developed a framework called The SaaS Mindset™ to make this shift tangible and measurable. Ask us for more information or join our next SaaS Mindset™ webinar.

3. Know Your Non-Negotiables and Stick to Them

Flexibility is important but so is drawing the line.

Establishing clear non-negotiables from day one helps to:

• Deliver transformation outcomes not just a lift and shift to a new system

• Avoid scope creep and hidden costs

• Deliver on stakeholder expectations

Your non-negotiables should guide every decision and any requested deviations should be challenged by quantifying their impact on benefits.

🔑 Pro tip: Use Design Principles as your non-negotiables (if you need a starter for ten, Veran has optimal principles at an Enterprise level, Service level and Functional level across all of HR, Payroll, Finance & Procurement). Example: Services and workflows should be designed to reduce the need for emails or calls to a service desk and functional Centre of Excellence teams.

4. Build Adult-to-Adult Ways of Working

Transformations impact people. Their roles, their tools, their daily work. It’s emotional and often messy.

Creating adult-to-adult working dynamics means:

• Communicating openly and respectfully

• Valuing local and cultural nuances

• Listening before pushing through decisions

Across the lifecycle from discovery and testing to go-live, ensure you’re engaging with stakeholders as partners, not passengers. Acknowledge tensions. Be willing to pivot. This builds resilience, trust, and long-term ownership.

🔑 Pro tip: Keep communication frequent and two-way using a range of different tools and channels e.g. always on surveys such as The Happiness Index can be really useful for colleagues to share their thoughts, questions or concerns when it suits them, and the tool also analyses sentiment and themes for the programme team to action.

Final Thought: Transformation = Focus + Flexibility

You need both.

You need the discipline to stay true to your outcomes. And you need the agility to handle what you didn’t plan for.

The road isn’t easy but with the right approach and mindset, your transformation can deliver more than just a lift and shift to a new technology. It can shift culture, unlock insight, and prepare your organisation for what’s next.

Contact becky@veranperformance.com to talk about how to make your transformation less about tech and more about people, purpose, and progress.