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Implemented Canadian HRIS in 12 Weeks, Cutting Costs 56.5%
When Maximus Canada Employment Services was acquired by AKG, an internationally based company, I discovered their existing HRIS did not support Canadian payroll functions. With only 12 weeks before staff would be at risk of not getting paid, I was responsible for sourcing, signing, and fully implementing a functioning HRIS from scratch — a high-stakes challenge with no room for delay. I began by building a shortlist of a dozen vendors capable of supporting Canadian payroll, then narrowed the field based on who could realistically implement within our tight timeline. From there, I evaluated finalists on a features-versus-cost basis. Given the company's unprofitability at the time, cost quickly became a critical secondary factor. When Finance was unable to align on a vendor choice for a broader integrated solution, I made the call to move forward independently given how time-critical the decision was, ultimately selecting the only vendor able to meet our implementation deadline while also offering a low-cost solution. Execution involved building out the module to match our company structure, migrating all payroll data, and running parallel pay cycles for two pay periods as a live test before cutover. We went live on schedule, and every employee was paid correctly and on time — with only minor adjustments needed and no missed payments. In the process, we uncovered that the previous system had actually been overtaxing certain employees, so those staff were especially pleased with the switch. Comparing the new vendor's annual contract cost to what we'd paid under the previous, larger-scale provider, the new system delivered a 56.5% cost savings — a notably strong outcome given that smaller companies typically have less leverage to negotiate favorable pricing than a large enterprise like Maximus Canada. Leadership was equally pleased that the transition caused zero disruption to staff pay during a period of significant organizational change.
Turned Unprofitable Contract into 35% Margin Through Rightsizing
At AKG Canada, a major contract won in 2019 rapidly became unprofitable due to unforeseen market shifts caused by COVID. With no ability to reduce headcount outside admin staff, a budget structure of only 8% opex to 92% payroll, and a multi-year fixed-rate agreement that ruled out rate increases or new business, the only lever available to restore margin was a targeted rightsizing effort paired with a full service delivery redesign. I led the effort to map every role against revenue-generating impact and partnered with operations leaders to redesign service delivery models across the organization. At the outset, performance was only tracked at the per-location level, and per previous leadership's philosophy, poor individual performance was never communicated to the teams responsible for it — case managers had no idea they were underperforming. I set clear, individual-level performance standards and targets for case managers based on the interventions and revenue activities that actually moved the needle, communicated them transparently, and built incentives around them. Working alongside the Directors of Business Admin and Operations, we identified which interventions generated the most profit for the least effort in each department and built more specific processes to increase average revenue per client interaction — including a billable service that was significantly underused relative to client need despite case managers already being qualified to deliver it. Within two quarters of rolling out individual KPIs, the contract moved from underperforming in every region provincially to 2nd place among all contractors in the province. By end of fiscal year, the contract turned from a projected loss into a 35% margin — a shift directly attributable to intervention volume and mix per case manager, since no rate increases or new business were possible during that window. Turnover spiked 22% in the first quarter as the new standards took hold, then dropped and stabilized in line with historic levels; regrettable exits rose only 2% before stabilizing as well, showing the redesign drove performance without sacrificing the workforce.