DIH HRMS — Business Requirements (V2)

The Case for Change

HR must scale with the business — without scaling headcount

A two-person team runs HR for roughly eighty employees across the group, largely by hand. That model carries cost, error, and compliance risk, and gives leadership no real-time view.

TODAY

48

recurring HR activities performed largely by hand — each carrying time cost, error risk, confidentiality exposure, and paper consumption.

PayrollOnboarding AppraisalsLeave & vacations LettersRecruitment tracking Off-boardingWorkforce analytics SuccessionFinal settlements

~80

employees across the Group and its operating companies — and growing.

2

HR staff supporting the entire group — the constraint the system must relieve.

4

strategic drivers: compliance & security, real-time insight, scalable efficiency, employee satisfaction.

1

centralized source of truth — replacing paper, spreadsheets, and scattered records.

The objective is leverage, not replacement of people. Automating operational HR work lets the existing team move from administration to strategy — onboarding faster, serving employees quicker, and giving leadership decisions grounded in real-time data.

The Approach

Build on what works — don't buy and start over

DIH scored six commercial products against a ~400-item requirement catalog. The decision: extend the platform already in use, and make the vendor catalog the compliance target.

01

Harden and extend the existing Augment HR platform into the production HRMS. It already implements DIH's core domain model — full control over multi-OpCo and localization, no per-seat licensing for a small workforce.

02

Group-plus-operating-company structure with configurable statutory rules and currencies per entity — mandatory, not optional, and built into the foundation rather than bolted on.

03

A thin foundation phase plus six delivery phases. Each ships usable capability, is piloted with one or two OpCos, and is signed off by DIH before the next begins — so value lands early and the build stays aligned.

The trade-off, managed Building in-house means DIH owns the build, maintenance, and integration effort a commercial vendor would otherwise carry. That is managed through the phased plan, the Phase 0 hardening investment, and the risk controls in this document — in exchange for a system shaped to DIH's exact priorities.

The Starting Point

The Augment HRMS already covers meaningful ground

Understanding precisely what exists today prevents rebuilding it — and frames every gap. Nine modules are live on a modern, containerized stack.

LIVE

Employee profiles, add/edit/disable, and a self-referential manager hierarchy.

LIVE

Clock in/out, auto-late detection, team and company views across date ranges.

LIVE

Apply, balances, two-step manager → HR approval, automatic balance deduction.

LIVE

Jobs → candidates → interviews → offers → onboarding checklist → convert to employee.

INITIAL

Live calculation, progressive tax, statutory contributions, payslip PDFs. Multi-currency localization follows in Phase 3.

LIVE

Three-state lifecycle — Assigned → Submitted → Reviewed — with a five-point rating.

LIVE

Company policies with per-employee acknowledgment tracking and downloadable forms.

LIVE

KPI cards, headcount, attendance, ATS funnel, and PDF report export.

LIVE

In-app HR assistant and a command palette for fast navigation.

The stack: React 18 + MUI on the front end; Node 20, Express, Prisma and PostgreSQL on the back end; JWT authentication with three effective roles; containerized with a one-click cloud blueprint. A modern foundation — what it needs next is enterprise hardening.

Phase 0 turns an internal build into an enterprise system. Before new features: security hardening, the multi-OpCo and multi-currency foundation, a reusable approval-workflow and RBAC engine, a complete audit trail, migration and release discipline, and a self-service configuration layer for per-entity rules.

The Roadmap

A foundation phase, then six delivery phases

Scope is committed by phase; calendar durations are set with DIH at each gate. Click any phase to see what it delivers. Every phase runs the same loop: discovery → sign-off → iterative build with weekly demos → UAT → OpCo pilot → release.

Why phased The catalog is large and the team is small. Phasing with independent gates lets value land early, keeps each release piloted and signed off before the next begins, and holds scope to the approved envelope through MoSCoW prioritization and a full traceability matrix.

The Capability Model

Seven pillars, delivered incrementally

DIH's requirements organize into seven pillars. This is the scope structure — each pillar mapped to the phase that delivers it, all on the Phase 0 foundation.

1

Organizational Development

Structure & org chart, performance, awards, JDs, engagement, comms, profiles, relations.

Ph 2 · 4 · 5

Key requirements

Org chart — visual chart with cost centers, matrix/hierarchy, vacant-position tracking linked to recruitment, drag-and-drop restructuring
Performance management — cascading objectives, SMART + behavioral split, up to 5-level approval workflow, post-submission objection window, 6-level escalation
Awards & recognition — points-based nominations, third-party rewards catalogue, budget-pool linkage
Personnel profile — full demographics, multiple bank accounts, dependents, digital signature, promotion/salary history, talent profiles
Job descriptions — upload & link to chart and pay-scale; no vacancy without a revised, approved JD
Employee relations — whistle-blowing, grievances, disciplinary actions, country-specific record rules

Current build: partial — flat directory with self-relation hierarchy; OKRs with single-level approval. No visual chart, budget linkage, awards, or relations module.

2

Compensation & Benefits

Payroll, automated time & attendance, benefits administration, vacations & leaves.

Ph 3

Key requirements

Payroll — allowances, per-diems, overtime with editable multipliers, end-of-service/gratuity calc, bank-system integration, multi-currency, country-specific statutory reporting
Time & attendance — read in/out from access-control devices, calculate hours, no-show & missing-leave alarms, overtime linkage
Benefits — benefit plans/providers/rates, flexible benefits, waiting periods, auto-enroll mandatory plans, dependent/beneficiary records
Vacations & leaves — configurable per OpCo/country, broader parental leave, approval cycle with SLA, holiday calendar deduction rules

Current build: partial — live payroll calculation with progressive tax and payslip PDFs; basic leave types with 2-step approval; manual clock in/out only. Multi-currency, device feed, benefits, and OT rules to follow.

3

Learning & Development

Training, content management, instructor profiles, competency & performance assessment.

Ph 4

Key requirements

Training — calendar, self-registration, auto-close at capacity, attendance certificates, links to external libraries (e.g. LinkedIn Learning), abroad-conference workflow
Content management / LMS — learning-object catalogue, third-party content import, module composition, document authoring
Competency & performance — skill-gap analysis, self-assessment, 360° assessment, compliance-certification tracking, balanced scorecard
Instructor profiles — competencies, qualifications, ranking, payment profile, event coordination

Current build: none — this is a greenfield module delivered in Phase 4 on the Core HR foundation.

4

Attraction & Retention

Recruitment & ATS, applicant self-service, assignments, succession, talent pool.

Ph 1 · 6

Key requirements

Recruitment & ATS — keyword screening, automated stage replies, online tests, calendar-synced interviews, offer & contract generation, applicant self-service
Talent pool — CV ingestion with auto-classification by level, profession, gender, country, experience
Succession — critical-position identification, successor readiness tracking, development plans
Assignments — resource identification, best-fit matching, cross-charge, benefits/payroll continuation

Current build: partial — linear ATS pipeline with onboarding checklist. No auto-classify, calendar sync, contract generation, or succession module. Phase 1 anchor.

5

Self-Service

Employee (ESS) and Manager (MSS) self-service across requests, letters, and approvals.

Ph 2

Key requirements

ESS — view/update personal info, submit requests (travel, training, reservations), letter templates (bank, embassy, government), payslip, leave balance, document-expiry notifications
MSS — manage approvals, view direct-team profiles, analysis per division/team, retrieve data before approval decisions

Current build: partial — self profile view, leave apply, payslip view, and OKRs. No letter templates, request-with-SLA workflows, or pre-approval data retrieval for managers.

6

Health & Safety

Incident management, claims, rehabilitation, and carbon-footprint reporting.

Ph 5

Key requirements

Incident management — tracking, reporting, and resolution workflows
Employee claims — submission, review, and settlement tracking
Rehabilitation — return-to-work programmes linked to employee records
Carbon-footprint calculation — company-level environmental reporting

Current build: none — a greenfield module delivered in Phase 5. Priority: Could.

7

Dashboard & Analytics

HR, departmental, and employee dashboards plus talent-acquisition analytics.

Ph 6

Key requirements

HR dashboard — service requests with per-type SLAs, leave analytics, structural changes, turnover & retention, recruitment status, performance, L&D spend/gaps
Departmental dashboard — all HR metrics scoped per department with sharing approval and budget view
Employee dashboard — salary, advances, vacation balance, contract, position/salary history, benefits, competencies, performance
Talent-acquisition analytics — headcount per function, vacancies, SLAs, exceptional hiring, third-party cost & effectiveness

Current build: partial — basic KPI cards and charts exist. Full analytics suite and departmental/employee-level dashboards are Phase 6.

Built once, reused everywhere Cross-cutting services — the approval-workflow engine, RBAC and audit, notifications, document management with e-signature, multi-OpCo localization, the configuration admin layer, and consent & NDA capture — are built in Phase 0 and reused by every pillar above. V2 adds an event-driven automation engine, IT provisioning & identity, an asset registry, embedded AI, and compliance automation to this shared layer.

The Phase 1 Anchor

Recruitment & Onboarding — the fastest visible win

Phase 1 is anchored here: it has the clearest, build-ready specification, and the Augment HRMS already has an applicant-tracking foundation to extend. A candidate's journey, end to end.

Apply & pool

CVs ingested from a recruitment inbox with auto-acknowledgment, then classified into a central talent pool by level, profession, and experience.

Screen & interview

Keyword screening, test and scheduling links, calendar-checked interviews, and per-role evaluation forms that auto-lock 10 minutes after each interview.

Offer & sign

Offer letter with approve/decline by link, contract upload or a Teams call with HR, plus NDA issue and explicit data-handling consent capture.

Onboard & confirm

Pre-start tasks to IT and the buddy with SLAs, a personal onboarding page, induction, and staged feedback at Week 1, Month 1, and the Week-10 trial decision.

ROUNDS

Each round follows the same process, with notifications to HR and stakeholders after each, individual scoring, and comparative shortlisting across candidates.

PROFILE

Orientation videos, HR contacts, org chart, policies, document upload, and progress tracking — made permanent on contract signature, closed if employment is canceled.

FALLBACK

Calendar sync integrates with Outlook/Teams, but a manual override is required as a fallback — designed for the real world, not just the happy path.

Non-functional, from day one Phase 1 is GDPR/data-privacy compliant, multi-device responsive, with secure document storage and role-based access for HR, interviewers, managers, and candidates — integrating with Outlook/Teams calendars and internal-comms tools.

Current Build vs. Target

Where we stand against the requirement catalog

Every requirement area traces to a pillar, a priority, its status in the current build, and the phase that delivers it. A read on coverage today.

Available today Partial — foundation exists Not yet built

Recruitment & ATS Pillar 4 · Must · Phase 1

Ph 1

Personnel profile & structure Pillar 1 · Must · Phase 2

Ph 2

Self-Service (ESS / MSS) Pillar 5 · Must · Phase 2

Ph 2

Vacations & leaves Pillar 2 · Must · Phase 2–3

Ph 2–3

Payroll Pillar 2 · Must · Phase 3

Ph 3

Automated time & attendance Pillar 2 · Must · Phase 3

Ph 3

Benefits administration Pillar 2 · Should · Phase 3

Ph 3

Performance management Pillar 1 · Must · Phase 4

Ph 4

Learning & Development Pillar 3 · Should · Phase 4

Ph 4

Awards, engagement & comms Pillar 1 · Should · Phase 5

Ph 5

Health & Safety Pillar 6 · Could · Phase 5

Ph 5

Dashboards & analytics Pillar 7 · Must · Phase 6

Ph 6

Cross-cutting platform services Workflow · RBAC · audit · localization · Phase 0

Ph 0

IT provisioning & asset lifecycle Cross-cutting · Should · Phase 0–1 · V2

Ph 0–1

Expense management Pillar 2 · Should · Phase 2–3 · V2

Ph 2–3

Embedded AI services Cross-cutting · Should · Phase 1/3/6 · V2

Ph 1–6

Native mobile app / PWA Non-functional · Should · Phase 2+ · V2

Ph 2+

Bars indicate the share of each area's full requirement set already implemented, read from the traceability matrix. The leaf-level requirements — roughly 400 items — remain individually traceable to the source workbook by pillar reference.

What's New in V2

Benchmarked against Rippling & Gusto — the gaps we're closing

V2 incorporates a competitive benchmark of two leading platforms: Rippling — a unified workforce platform with native IT, device and identity automation — and Gusto — payroll-first, with deep compliance, benefits and employee-finance features. Most of the ~400-item catalog already matches or exceeds both; these additions close the modern gaps, governed by the same MoSCoW and phase-gate controls.

COMMITTED

Upgrades the approval engine into an event-driven "when X then do Y" no-code layer over the employee record — a role change assigns training, a document expiry opens a renewal. Directly serves the 80% automation KPI. Phase 0.

COMMITTED

Automated email, SSO identity (SAML/SCIM) and role-based app access on hire; revoke and disable on exit — replacing manual onboarding IT tasks. On-brand for a digital-infrastructure group. Phase 0–1.

COMMITTED

Track which employee holds which device or asset; assign at onboarding, recover at offboarding clearance; optional MDM. Closes the manual "collecting company assets" gap. Phase 1.

COMMITTED

AI CV parsing and candidate–vacancy match scoring, interview transcription and summary, JD drafting; payroll anomaly detection; an agentic assistant within RBAC limits. Phase 1 / 3 / 6.

COMMITTED

A native app or installable PWA for clock-in, payslip, leave, approvals, expense capture and awards — a direct lever for the 60% adoption KPI. Phase 2+.

COMMITTED

Beyond reimbursement requests: mobile receipt capture, categories, policy-based approval and reimburse-via-payroll. Phase 2–3.

Candidate enhancements — pending DIH confirmation

Context-dependent on DIH's workforce and footprint; held as MoSCoW Could/Should candidates, confirmed or backlogged at each phase's discovery workshop.

CANDIDATE

Rostering, swaps and overtime guardrails — if DIH has shift/field workers. Phase 3.

CANDIDATE

On-demand access to earned wages ahead of payday — subject to banking feasibility. Phase 3+.

CANDIDATE

Regulatory-change alerts and per-OpCo statutory task checklists. Phase 0 / 6.

CANDIDATE

Flag out-of-band offers; 9-box and compa-ratio calibration. Phase 3 / 4.

CANDIDATE

Guided open-enrollment, plan comparison and provider data exchange. Phase 3.

CANDIDATE

A background / reference-check step before offer. Phase 1.

STRATEGIC

Hire/pay where DIH has no legal entity, plus international contractor payments — a leadership decision. TBD.

MINOR

Garnishments, payroll auto-run, eNPS surveys, and an API-first integration posture.

Adopted as pattern, not feature Rippling and Gusto carry heavy US-specific compliance — ACA, COBRA, I-9/E-Verify, 50-state reporting, R&D tax credits, US labour-law posters. DIH's equivalent is configurable per-OpCo country statutory rules, already specified. We adopt the principle — automated statutory compliance, work-authorisation verification, document-expiry tracking — not the US features.

Net effect Six committed additions wire in the connective tissue Rippling is known for — automated IT, identity and workflow — onto DIH's already-strong HR catalog, with Gusto-style depth in expense, mobile and compliance. New traceability rows (X.8–X.10, NFR-13/14, 2.5–2.7 and four revised refs) are merged into the BRD, governed by the same MoSCoW + phase-gate controls.

Integrations & Data

The systems the HRMS connects to

The HRMS integrates with best-of-breed tools rather than replacing them — each connection sequenced to the phase that first needs it.

Integration	Purpose	First needed
Outlook / Teams calendars	Interview scheduling availability and Teams call links	Phase 1
E-signature	Offer and contract signing	Phase 1
SMS gateway	Onboarding and welcome messages, reminders	Phase 1
Internal comms (SharePoint / Yammer / Slack)	Announcements, onboarding comms, internal platform	Phase 1 / 5
Banking system	Salary disbursement files and direct deposit	Phase 3
Finance / ERP / budget	Cost centers, budget pools, payroll posting	Phase 3
Access-control / attendance devices	In/out feed for automated time & attendance	Phase 3
LMS / e-learning	Course links, content import, certificates	Phase 4
Awards catalogue (3rd-party)	Points redemption	Phase 5
Identity provider (SSO / SCIM, e.g. Entra) · V2	Automated app provisioning and identity lifecycle	Phase 0–1
Device management / MDM · V2	Device configuration, asset tracking, deprovisioning	Phase 1
Background-check provider · V2	Pre-employment screening in hiring	Phase 1
Expense / cards & earned-wage banking · V2	Expense reimbursement and on-demand pay rails	Phase 3

Risks & Mitigations

The risks we are managing, and how

Each risk from the charter and our own assessment carries a concrete mitigation built into the plan.

Risk	Mitigation
Implementation delays	Phased delivery with independent gates; a thin Phase 0; weekly PM sync to monitor and control.
Low user adoption (target is 60%)	Change management per phase; ESS one-stop-shop delivered early in Phase 2; training, comms, and OpCo champions; pilots.
Data-security vulnerabilities	Phase 0 security hardening, RBAC, audit, and encryption; a security review before every release.
Customization & integration challenges	Integration design and spikes early in each phase; manual fallbacks; IT and vendor involvement at design time.
Scope expansion (~400 items)	MoSCoW prioritization and a traceability matrix; phase-gate sign-off; a change-request process for anything off-catalog.
Baseline never captured	Make baseline capture a hard Phase 0 exit criterion, so improvement KPIs remain provable.

In short A proven platform, a clear catalog, and a phased plan with real gates. Phase 1 delivers a visible win on recruitment and onboarding; Phase 0 makes it enterprise-grade — and every phase after lands on the same hardened foundation, signed off by DIH as it goes.