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Transforming an outdated HR system so it's fit for purpose doesn't have to be expensive or time-intensive, but it does require realistic expectations, according to a CPO.

When Chris Youness took up his role with the City of Sydney, tasked with modernising and transforming the function, it didn't take him long to realise the system he'd inherited wasn't fit for purpose.

In this case, the system was a legacy SAP SuccessFactors platform that had been heavily customised when it was implemented, and not updated since.

It's a common story in HR, Youness says, that a system is "built for a time and for a purpose", but the organisation doesn't continue to develop it as its service matures, and as the experience of administrators, HR practitioners, customers and hiring managers matures. In other cases, often the systems weren't fit for purpose in the first place, while in more recent times employers have bought the "biggest and most glorious" systems – but nobody learned how to optimise them...