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HR, Workforce & Training Software

Deputy Implementation: 30/60/90 HR Rollout That Sticks

applicant tracking; career site and job boards; core hris; payroll processing. Lite · applicant tracking | Core | Pro. Slack, Google Workspace. Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance; Teams that will trial Core for up to 31 days before Homebase-style SMB hubs; Ops leaders who want WFM AI with a human-in-the-loop. Deputy is a shift-work platform for scheduling, timekeeping, compliance, comms, and optional HR/payroll add-ons. Published USD per-user: Lite list price Core list price (most popul Buyer question: what must be true before Deputy is worth buying versus staying on trial/research? Keep Deputy on the shortlist only if Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance; drop it when Tiny shops that need a free ≤10-employee plan because Every user including managers is billed; list price invoice minimum cannot be patched with more seats.

By Lee MeyeridricksUpdated Aug 18, 20266 min readFact-checked
Find HR (2 min)

Quick answer

core hris (Lite, Core, Pro) decides whether Deputy implementation is a one-team pilot or a specialist project — confirm unlocks for core hris (Lite, Core, Pro), payroll processing (Lite, Core, Pro) before invites.

  • Start with: applicant tracking
  • Gate check: core hris (Lite, Core, Pro)
  • Integrate after: data quality pass on Slack

Deputy rollout rules

  • Job cluster first — Deputy is applicant tracking / recruiting. Do not implement it as frontline scheduling or a GPS time clock.
  • Adoption before add-ons — If Harbor Retail will not open the product weekly, extra hubs will not save the rollout.
  • Integrations are a phase — Research names Slack, Zapier, and Google Workspace on the Deputy side — confirm the connectors your HR loop depends on.
  • AI is optional — Research lists AI assistant, AI summaries, AI automation, and AI recommendations for Deputy. Research places AI assistance on Lite, Core, and Pro.

Deputy 30/60/90

Deputy 30/60/90 rollout for applicant tracking / recruiting.
Treat Deputy implementation as gated phases — not a feature dump in week one.

Deputy checklist

Bring these questions to every demo

Ask vendors to show the workflow live, not just describe it.

  • 1Freeze 90-day outcomesMust-haves for applicant tracking / recruiting before configuration sprawl.
  • 2Name an admin ownerFields, users, and hygiene need a responsible party.
  • 3Schedule adoption reviewCheck core-loop usage before adding automations.

Frequently asked questions

  • How long should rollout take?

    Ninety days is enough for most SMB/mid teams if you freeze the job and defer extras. Longer programmes help when change management is the risk.

  • What if we also need a different HR job?

    Buy the second job as a second product (or a later wave). Deputy should not be stretched into frontline scheduling or a GPS time clock.

1. Deputy day-zero to steady-state sequence

  • Day zero — objects and owners

    Define owners for applicant tracking, career site and job boards, workforce scheduling before inviting the whole org.

  • SMB pilot

    One pipeline / one team proves Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance before company-wide seats.

  • Cutover

    Freeze legacy writes briefly; validate Slack and Google Workspace before reopen.

Treat Deputy setup as a controlled rollout — not a weekend dump of CSV files.

Deputy implementation go / no-go

  1. 1Go when plan unlocks cover core hris (Lite, Core, Pro)
  2. 2Pause if this limitation blocks ops: Every user including managers is billed; list price invoice minimum
  3. 3Do not expand seats until applicant tracking is green

Deputy implementation mistakes

  • Mistake 1

    Every user including managers is billed; list price invoice minimum

  • Mistake 2

    HR, analytics, messaging, and US payroll are add-ons (some bundled on Pro)

  • Mistake 3

    SMS is usage-priced by country

  • Mistake 4

    No free forever plan

  • Big-bang invite

    Inviting every user before object design creates junk data that is expensive to unwind.

Deputy plan gates that affect rollout

Implementation fails when unlocks needed for go-live sit on a higher tier than budgeted.

  • Seats61%
  • Add-ons18%
  • Implementation12%
  • Training5%
  • Other4%

  • Lite

    31-day trial · Unlocks: applicant tracking, career site and job boards, core hris · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

  • Core

    31-day trial · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

  • Pro

    31-day trial · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

Deputy implementation checklist

0/3 dimensions noted — saved in this browser only.

  • Prep

  • Pilot

  • Scale

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