TalenTeam isn’t just fast, they really understand our business. Their deep expertise and collaborative approach help us shape better requirements and get solutions that actually fit.
Comprehensive suite covering every step of the skills transformation journey.
TalenTeam isn’t just fast, they really understand our business. Their deep expertise and collaborative approach help us shape better requirements and get solutions that actually fit.
Fully meets pharmaceutical regulatory requirements.
Replaced paper-based training with an accessible online system.
Staff can track their training progress in real time.
Change of program ensured high engagement from day one.
Introduced goal and performance management tools.
Set up for future expansion across HR processes.
Based in Waterford, Ireland, EirGen Pharma develops and supplies specialty care medicines to patients in more than 50 countries worldwide. It was established in 2005 and has been part of the US company, OPKO Health since 2015.
Spread over three main sites, EirGen provide sterile vial filling, tableting, capsule, soft gel manufacturing and packaging capabilities, while the team in their Research & Development Centre, work to develop the next generation of life-saving treatments.
As an international pharmaceutical business, EirGen is subject to the regulatory requirements of several jurisdictions, including Ireland, the EU, the USA and Japan.
The pharmaceutical industry sets a standard for Computer System Validation (CSV), to ensure that computer-based systems do exactly what they are designed to do, in a consistent and reproducible manner.
The CSV process is necessary when replacing paper records with electronic systems within highly regulated environments such as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, to make sure that systems are completely robust, access is suitably controlled and data is adequately recorded and stored.
As reported by Juliett Huges, New Technology Project Lead at EirGen Pharma, “Although our focus was on the need for an LMS, we recognised that other HR functionality would be beneficial in the future, so widened our criteria to assess what additional HR modules might be available from a potential supplier.”
We set ourselves a target to replace our paper-based training with an online Learning Management System (LMS) so we could manage our training programmes more effortlessly and effectively - and ensure compliance. Any new system would need to be validated to the necessary industry standards.
Juliett Hughes,
New Technology Project Lead at EirGen Pharma
Our in-depth research narrowed down the list of suitable vendors to three products, and we undertook a rigorous assessment of these systems. We invited implementation partners to demonstrate how their systems met our specific industry requirements.
Following presentations from the three providers, SAP SuccessFactors LMS emerged as the clear winner.
“However, the presentations highlighted the importance of having an implementation partner that understood our business, and the regulatory environment in which we operate,” Says Juliett. “So, we approached SAP for advice.”
SAP recommended TalenTeam as a potential partner. On meeting them, we felt very confident that they had the required experience and understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and its specific challenges.
TalenTeam advised that the sensible approach would be to implement SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central first, as this would capture the core data, which would feed into the SAP SuccessFactors LMS and other components.
TalenTeam helped EirGen implement SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and Performance and Goal Management (PMGM) using its fixed-cost, fast-track Optima implementation methodology, which uses industry best-practice configuration. EirGen widened the project scope to include system validation of the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central module, and the solution went live in May 2019.
An internal reorganisation put the move to roll out SAP SuccessFactors LMS on hold temporarily, however this provided an opportunity to align the implementation with a major upgrade of the SAP SuccessFactors LMS software, incorporating a completely re-designed UI. With a new team now in place, the project is on schedule to go live in Jan 2021. PMGM is ready for use with the annual goal setting and twice yearly performance reviews in the New Year.
The Covid pandemic has barely affected the implementation, as TalenTeam are well versed in remote working methods, and many of the staff have been working from home for some time.
EirGen has also embarked on a change management programme to ensure rapid take up of the new system when the SAP SuccessFactors LMS module comes online. Weekly communications are helping to showcase the look and feel of the application and to grow user knowledge of the functionality. They even plan to run mini prize-winning competitions to encourage user familiarity with the new system, prior to go live.
“Our implementation has benefitted enormously from the preparation work we have done,” says Juliett. “Having a clear understanding of what we wanted the system to do for us was crucial to selecting the right solution.”
“Finding the right implementation partner to work with was also crucial - they needed to understand both the SuccessFactors system and the requirements of our highly regulated industry, and TalenTeam have proven to be the right choice for us.”
“Inevitably all systems have limitations, with interpretations of 21 CFR Part 11 requirements often proving to be an issue. TalenTeam helped us find solutions to mitigate any short-comings we identified, such as the limitations around the SuccessFactors configuration audit trail.”
“It is important to realise that the successful implementation of any new automated system takes time and effort, and it is essential that the project be resourced adequately,” explains Juliett.
With the SAP SuccessFactors LMS and performance modules now fully live, EirGen is continuing to strengthen its internal processes and culture of learning. The team is actively building internal capability, gaining confidence in using the platform, and preparing to expand the HR digital ecosystem further.
Implementation of SAP SuccessFactors LMS will be a seismic shift for the organisation, providing visibility to all staff on the status of their training. They will be able to see clearly which training they need to complete, what they have already done, and what is next on their programme.
As the knowledge of SAP SuccessFactors is growing, the benefits of further modules are becoming more apparent. They are now making plans to implement more functionality, and considering the introduction of other modules such as On-boarding, Compensation and Succession & Development, as well as the Time & Attendance module of Employee Central Employee Central, and the mobile app.
Training will be available online - a great benefit in these Covid times, and we will be able to demonstrate our level of compliance to our auditors easily.
Contact TalenTeam for a tailored demonstration and see how we can help you meet your strategic learning objectives and drive organisational performance.
