If your organization is currently shopping around for a talent management solution or looking for ways to tighten up your existing one, you’ve come to the right place! This week I come bearing gifts in the form of wisdom; seven fruitful tips (to be exact) on what to hope, dream and look for in a talent management platform.

1. Adaptable and flexible – A performance management system must be able to change as the needs of the business change. Content (such as forms, reports, etc.) should be customizable and easy to modify.

2. Easy to administer and manage – Managers don’t want to use software that’s complicated or difficult to oversee. Enough said.

3. Simple and intuitive to use – The goal of an automated solution is to reduce the headaches paper-based systems often create. It should not be seen as an automated chore for managers and employees. To make life easier for everyone, choose a solution that’s simple and user-friendly, and that doesn’t require a technical background to operate.

4. Link to corporate goals and objectives – Being able to tie employee goals and objectives to those of the company will help give focus and direction. Not to mention, knowing how one’s goals fit into the big picture will help motivate employees and give them a sense of purpose and place within the organization.

5. All inclusive – A world class platform should be a complete solution; a one-stop shop, so to speak, that provides the ability to perform collaborative appraisals goal management, 360 multi-rater reviews, online surveys, succession planning, compensation and reporting. All your talent management needs should all be rolled into one convenient system.

6. Great reporting and analytics – What’s the point of having data and not being able to get anything out of it? A high-quality system should have the means to ‘slice and dice’ data, and provide access to robust reporting and analytics.

7. Cost effective and high ROI – A good performance management platform doesn’t need to cost a fortune to get the job done. A solution that comes with a lot of expensive bells and whistles doesn’t always mean it will be efficient. Make sure you select a platform that will meet the needs of your business and deliver high ROI.

End note: If there’s one thing you should always bear in mind it’s that talent management software doesn’t have to be overly sophisticated or complex. Swear by these clear-cut tips and you won’t be disappointed!