Implementation

A 12 week framework. Customers who went live in six.

Dovetail is configured, not developed. That is the reason implementations land shorter than platform based alternatives, and it is the reason your HR team can keep changing it after we leave.

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Dovetail HR case management console showing the case queue, employee record and resolution timeline

12 weeks

Standard project framework

Project kick-off, analysis and design sessions, build, then rollout and go live. Phased rollouts are used for larger or multi-geography programmes.

6 weeks

Actual, at a mutual insurer

Quoted 8 to 10 weeks. Their previous system was quoted at 14 weeks and took over a year.

6 weeks

Portal rollout across 7 hospitals

Tower Health, 19,000 employees, following Dovetail's design process with business leader buy-in.

How it runs

Four phases

A standard framework built around an example 12 week project timeline, adapted to your scope.

Project kick-off

Scope, stakeholders, success criteria and the implementation plan agreed before work starts.

Week 1

Analysis and design sessions

Working sessions with your team covering global setup, branding, content structure, case management, knowledge and live chat.

Weeks 2 to 6

Build and configure

Your HR team configures alongside ours, so knowledge transfers during the project rather than after it.

Weeks 5 to 10

Rollout and go live

Single rollout, or phased by geography, division or department for larger programmes.

Weeks 10 to 12

Why it lands short

Configured, not developed

There is nothing to build. Your HR team configures alongside ours through the design sessions, which is why the same people who ran the project can keep changing the system afterwards without raising a ticket.

Fixed scope and fixed price agreed before signature, no open ended services meter
Your HR team in the room throughout, so there is no handover cliff
Knowledge content is the long pole. Starting it early is the single biggest determinant of timeline.
Phased rollout by geography, division or department for larger programmes

See who owns what

It was supposed to take 14 weeks and it took over a year. So when we heard that this was going to take 8 to 10 weeks, in my mind, that was already like all right, it will probably take 6 to 8 months. But it actually took around 6 weeks to implement Dovetail.

HR leaderLeading mutual insurance company

6 weeks

actual go live

Common questions

What does support look like after go live?

You keep a named relationship rather than being handed to a queue. Dovetail runs a 9.95 out of 10 customer support satisfaction score on a 12 month rolling average across all support cases. Support will also make configuration changes for you if you would rather not make them yourself.

How long does implementation actually take?

The standard project framework is built around an example 12 week timeline. Actual duration depends on scope. A leading mutual insurer went live in around 6 weeks against an 8 to 10 week quote, and Tower Health rolled the employee portal across 7 hospitals in 6 weeks.

What does implementation cost?

It is scoped and fixed before you sign. There is no open ended professional services meter.

How much of our time does it take?

Your HR team participates in the design sessions covering global setup, branding, content structure, case management and live chat. That participation is what removes the handover cliff later.

Can we phase it?

Yes. Phased rollouts by geography, division or department are a standard pattern for larger implementations. Case management first, then portal and knowledge, is a common sequence.

What is the biggest thing that slows projects down?

Knowledge content. Starting it early is the single biggest determinant of your timeline.

Talk through a realistic timeline for your scope

Tell us your population, your modules and your HCM, and we will be straight about what it takes.

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